


Ride Or Die - (A Sanvers College AU)

by superqueerlanz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-10-25 10:38:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 35,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10762560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superqueerlanz/pseuds/superqueerlanz
Summary: College AU with Sanvers and the gang.Build-up, angst, fluff and smut as Alex and Maggie get to know each other through shared classes, wild parties, group adventures, long drunken conversations, a bit of weed, and lots of sexual tension.You  also get to see puppy freshman Kara Danvers get a bit confused when she meets Maggie's roommate, Lena Luthor.





	1. New Year, Fresh Start.

**Author's Note:**

> This is loosely based on a few prompts I have gotten. I don't know how many chapters this is going to be yet but I will be posting a chapter a week most probably. Maybe two occasionally.  
> I will still be writing my "I Just Want To Kiss You" fic on the side as well.  
> Your feedback is always welcome!  
> And you can always drop by to say hi to me on my tumblr stillascalmwater

Alex Danvers had decided to go back to her dorm a week and a half before the start of her third year at college. 

She couldn't handle her mother for one more day, couldn't handle one more week of nagging and pestering and complaining. 

Because Kara was going to be there this year, sharing her room, and trying to fulfill her dream of becoming a reporter by studying journalism. 

And Alex didn't mind that Kara was going to be there, she loved her little alien sister to bits - although the whole sharing the same room thing was bound to get a bit annoying at times. Alex was studying biochemistry with a minor in astronomy - her passion for space was fueled by the arrival of Kara into their little family while biochemistry was chosen because of her love for science for as long as she could remember - and she needed peace and quiet to be able to concentrate.

And Kara wasn't known for being quiet -- they were probably going to have a talk about that at some point. 

No. What bothered Alex was her mother's constant monologue about "taking care of your little sister" and "I know you've been out drinking with your friends and that's fine, but I don't want you dragging Kara into that kind of lifestyle" and "you can be very irresponsible, Alexandra, so don't blame me for being concerned-"

She could go on forever. 

And so Alex packed her bags, made up some story about wanting to go back to National City University - or NCU as everyone called it - to get a head-start on her studies, pecked her mother on the cheek goodbye and drove away into the sunset with Kara in tow. 

"You know you didn't have to come," Alex said on the way there, her hands gripping the steering wheel, glancing briefly at her little sister. "You could have waited an extra week, said goodbye to all your friends, and taken the train-"

Kara shrugged, smiling easily. "I wanted to hang out with you, it's a long drive".

Alex smiled back - being around Kara was always comfortable and reassuring. Kara always tried to see the good things in life - probably because she had seen the destruction of her own planet and lost her parents - and she knew she shouldn't take things for granted. And so she constantly tried to tackle life with a big wide grin on her face and with a sunny disposition. 

And even though it made Alex roll her eyes sometimes, it was something she loved about Kara. Her good mood was contagious.

"Want to stop for pizza?" Alex asked and Kara knew that Alex was already less upset than she was when they left. The more distance Alex put between her and her mother, the lighter and cheerier she felt. 

Kara nodded, propping her legs up on the dashboard, and turning the dial on the radio until she found something mainstream that she knew all the lyrics to.

Alex rolled her eyes again at her sister's loud - yet on-key- singing but turned the music up higher, making Kara whoop with delight. 

She hoped this year was going to be better than the last. 

 

~

Maggie Sawyer hitched her duffel bag higher up on her shoulder and let out a long and heavy sigh.

She had finally made it to NCU. 

And the reason why Maggie was there a week early wasn't because she was trying to get away from an annoying parent. 

It was because her own father had kicked her out unceremoniously a few months ago.

Maggie had stayed over at her friend's house, crying her heart out for the better part of a week and asking herself whether her father had ever loved her in the first place. She knew her mother wouldn't have put up with this but her mother had been gone for a long time now. 

Her father had made it clear while she was stuffing her belongings into her bag, that he was not going to be paying for her expensive education anymore. 

"Can't believe you want to be a  _cop_ , of all things," he had spat. "A cop is supposed to set a good example in society". 

Maggie had gritted her teeth to stop herself from answering. She didn't want to rile him up and have him shove her out the door before she had finished packing. 

"Law Enforcement, pshh," he went on, shaking his head before walking out of her bedroom. 

And Maggie had really thought that she wasn't going to be able to follow her heart. She wanted to be a cop more than anything else in the world and protect people - but she couldn't do that without her father's financial support. And it wasn't like she was sitting on a fortune herself. 

Luckily, her friend Amy had advised her to try for a scholarship. Maggie was a bright student with pretty good grades and even though switching unis during her third year wasn't easy, she decided to give it a go. 

She applied at different universities and received polite refusals in the mail. 

Except NCU who offered her a full scholarship as well as a monthly payment for her dorm and basic needs. 

And now here she was, ready to start fresh.

Maggie was also hoping to quickly land herself a part-time job and being there a week early was to her advantage in that regard. She knew that once classes started, students were going to be trying every Starbucks and every restaurent around the corner in order to score a job. Because some money on the side meant that they could drink more and party more.

Except Maggie didn't want the money so that she could party. She didn't care about that lifestyle anymore. 

She only wanted to survive.

 

~

"Oh wow, Alex, this is really nice!" Kara gasped as she carried both their bags into the room.

Alex shrugged and looked around, trying to see the room through Kara's excited blue eyes. 

The room was small-ish but big enough for two, with an ensuite bathroom and a kitchenette. 

Alex had decorated the place with all her favorite things : posters of planets and a map of the stars stuck on the walls, a double helix DNA model propped up on her desk, as well as different awards she had gotten over the last two years. Books were scattered here and there, and a small TV sat on a table in the corner. 

Alex had asked for bunk beds because she didn't want her little sister - or herself - to be sleeping on a sofa bed for the rest of the year. Plus, it would take up too much room.

"Dibs on top bunk," Kara blurted out hastily. 

She didn't bother climbing up the stairs - she flew there, plopping herself on the upper bed, and bouncing on it experimentally. "Comfy".

Alex planted her hands on her hips, tilting her chin up to glare at her sister.

"Kara, what did I tell you about using your powers?"

Kara had the common sense to look sheepish. "That I shouldn't use them all the time. But, Alex, it's just us-"

"I know it's just us," Alex interrupted with a wave of her hand. "But we've talked about this. If it becomes a habit then you can easily forget that there are people around. You need to learn how to do things the human way". 

Kara sighed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it to her chest. "But I'm  _trying"_.

"Well, you need to try harder," Alex shrugged, valiantly ignoring Kara's puppy dog eyes boring into her. "You remember what happened last time with Mrs Schmidt-"

Kara groaned, flopping on her back and pressing the pillow against her face. "You are not going to let this go, are you? It's been a whole  _year"._

Kara's voice was muffled by the pillow but Alex could easily guess the general gist. 

"True," she conceded. "But it was a close call, and we can't just forget it ever happened. You  _lifted_ her truck because you found a 10$ bill under one of the tires-"

"I thought it was a hundred dollars!" Kara protested, sitting up again. "And the truck wasn't even  _that_ heavy".

"- and we had to explain to her that you just worked out a lot and wanted to become a professional weight lifter". 

Kara pursed her lips in defeat. She knew Alex was right and Alex knew that she knew. 

She couldn't stay stern with Kara for too long - but her mother went too easy on her and sometimes that wasn't what Kara needed. Sometimes she needed a parental figure she could trust and listen to and Alex had to be that person. 

"I know it's hard, Kar, I know it's hard to not be able to fly or use your strength or heat vision whenever you want to, because it's so natural that it feels like breathing". Kara nodded eagerly at Alex's words because yes, this was exactly how it felt. "But you know this is for your own good, right? You know that people don't understand, that they're scared of things that are..different". 

Kara nodded again, slower this time, sadder this time. Shit, Alex needed to backtrack. 

She climbed up the steps to sit next to her sister, slinging an arm around her shoulder comfortingly and smiling softly as Kara automatically leaned into her.

"They're wrong, though, you know. All of them. Because you are perfect just the way you are. And you being different just makes you so much more special". 

Kara had heard this speech often - Alex would soothe her like this whenever she was feeling bummed out about her situation -and it was worded a bit differently every time but always holding the same meaning. And it never failed to make her smile. 

"Yeah?" she said in a small voice. 

"Yeah," Alex replied, kissing the top of her head. "Now come on and help me unpack". 

Alex scooted towards the edge of the bed and dropped to her feet, grinning to herself when she saw Kara obediently using the steps to climb down this time. She promised herself to treat her to some ice-cream later on. 

But then she remembered their initial conversation. 

"Hold up, you are  _not_ taking top bunk," she said.

" _What?_ Why?" Kara whined, dumping the pile of clothes she had taken out of her suitcase on the floor.

"Because I'm older and I get to decide," Alex replied matter-of-factly. "And I want the top one".

"But that's not  _fair!"_

"Kara, you roll around too much in your sleep, you'd keep me awake for ages".

"That's not my fault, I have a lot of... vivid dreams-"

"I know and we don't want you having a vivid dream that has you rolling off the bed, do we?"

"You know I wouldn't feel a thing if I fell from the top of a  _building_ ". 

She had a point.

"Okay, true. But that doesn't change the fact that you're a fussy sleeper. Why do you want the top bunk so bad anyway?"

Kara averted her eyes and busied herself with taking out her laptop and charger. "I -It's silly. Me and my brother used to sleep in a bunk-bed back... back home and I'd always sleep on the top one and it's just- I just thought-"

Alex sighed and felt her heart break a little at how vulnerable Kara looked. 

Even though Kara was a bundle of sunshine for everyone to see, Alex knew that Kara often thought about her Kryptonian family and about her former home. 

And she knew Kara had won the round. Because Alex was stubborn but Alex also loved Kara and if sleeping on the top bunk made her feel closer to her destroyed planet then Alex would just have to wear earplugs. 

"Fiiiiine," she said, raising her hands in surrender and trying to lighten the mood. "But you're letting me choose what movie we're going to watch for a whole month". 

Kara tilted her head and pretended to think this through. "You've got yourself a deal". 

 

~

Maggie knew that she was going to be sharing her room with someone.

And she knew that someone was a girl.

She didn't know anything else besides that and she could only hope that her roommate was someone that was easy to get along with.

She wasn't naive enough to wish that they would become close friends - but she only wished that they wouldn't end up wanting to murder each other before the end of the year. 

Maggie didn't really have close friends except for Amy - and she didn't even consider her as being very close.

Maggie wasn't like that.

She had learned early on in life not to let her guard down and not to let people in. Not to trust people. 

Because people always found ways to disappoint you, even the ones you thought never would. 

Because people always changed - except Maggie didn't really believe that either, she liked to think of it more as people showing their true colors. 

And so Maggie had built up walls and she watched the world unfold from behind them, and tried to remain unscathed and untouched. 

That didn't mean that she was a introvert or anything like that; Maggie was friendly and charming and didn't have trouble striking up a conversation. But she kept her social life and her feelings as far away from each other as she possibly could. 

She didn't want any more mistakes to be made. 

Maggie hitched up her duffel bag on her shoulder again, and knocked on the door. Two taps, brief but firm. 

She had the keys to the room of course, but she didn't want to startle her roommate in case she was getting undressed or something. Plus, she wanted to be polite and make a good first impression - using her keys the first time and just bursting in wouldn't be the best move. 

She waited a few seconds, and heard footsteps shuffling closer. 

And then the door opened and she was staring into clever catlike green eyes. 

The girl was tall and slim and had an exotic kind of beauty that Maggie found eye-catching - a strong angular jaw, defined features and a blinding white smile that she was now directing at Maggie. 

"Hi! You must be my roommate? I'm Lena," she said, stepping aside to let Maggie in and reaching out to shake her hand. 

Maggie smiled back, accepting the handshake. "Hey, I'm Maggie. Maggie Sawyer". 

"Well, it's nice to meet you Maggie," Lena said honestly. "I gotta say, I was bored out of my mind sitting here all by myself". 

Maggie dropped her bag next to her feet, and stretched her arms and shoulders. Man, that bag was heavy. 

"You're a week early too". 

"Yeah, I always need a bit of time to adjust before classes start," Lena explained casually. "What about you?"

"Yeah, um- same," Maggie replied hastily. There was no way she was telling Lena the whole angst-y story. 

Lena didn't prob further and seemed satisfied with this answer and Maggie breathed a subtle sigh of relief. 

As a first impression, Lena was already scoring points. She was friendly, apparently non-intrusive, and - Maggie looked around the immaculate room which Lena had already decorated with some of her belongings - pretty tidy. A recurrent theme was dogs: pictures of dogs on the wall near her bed, a few pictures of herself with a beautiful black labrador, and a desk-lamp shaped like a dog. Maggie didn't mind: dogs were cute.

She leaned forward a little with her hands on her knees to look at the pictures more closely. 

"Is he yours?" she asked, pointing at the black lab. 

Lena - who was foraging inside the fridge for two cans of Pepsi - glanced back and nodded fondly. 

"Was," she corrected. "Good ol' Dexter passed away a year ago". 

"Oh, I'm sorry," Maggie winced, accepting the Pepsi can with a grateful head tilt.

"Thanks," Lena said simply, clearing her throat. It was obviously a sensitive subject for a first conversation. "He was old though, he lived a happy life".

"I can tell. He looks very happy," Maggie commented, her eyes flicking towards the picture again. She meant it: Lena was carrying the dog in her arms, bridal style, and laughing freely and slightly painfully - probably because a dog his size was pretty heavy - and Dexter was grinning like the luckiest dog in the world. 

Lena smiled softly at that. 

They both cracked their cans open at the same time and took a deep gulp. 

Lena was the first to speak again.

"Do you prefer the bed by the window? I just have my stuff there from last year but if you want, we can switch-"

Maggie shook her head. "No, no. I don't really mind where I sleep". She was used to crashing on sofas and on beds that weren't hers. She was even used to sleeping on the floor if need be. 

She placed her bag on the second twin bed, that was closer to the door, and started unpacking. 

"So what are you studying?" Maggie asked, scrunching up her nose at one of her favorite shirts that really needed ironing. 

"Journalism, I want to be a reporter. Or maybe -I don't know.. one day run my own newspaper company? I guess that's too unrealistic-"

"I think it's perfectly realistic," Maggie looked up from her bag, her words ringing simple and true in the room.

Lena smiled slowly. 

"My new roommate is an optimist, I like it". 

"I just don't see why you shouldn't believe that your dreams can come true and then pursue them," Maggie shrugged. "There's nothing really stopping you if you put your mind to it". 

Lena hummed noncommittally and took another sip of her drink.

"What about you?"

"Law Enforcement".

"Oh my, a cop?" Lena gave a delighted laugh.

Maggie stilled for a second - her father's words still resonated in her mind - but Lena's tone wasn't judgmental. Her green eyes were curious and sincere.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I don't mind breaking the law now and again," Maggie stage-whispered and Lena laughed again.

Although Maggie was only half joking.

"Good, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm up to no good".

Lena's voice was rich and full, she sounded older than she actually was and it made everything she said sound even better.

Maggie laughed at that, lifting her can to lightly tap it against Lena's.

"Cheers to that".

 

~ 

Maggie left Lena uploading some pictures she had taken on her laptop, grabbed her CV that was neatly folded inside her bag, and decided to go and see if anything nearby had a vacancy that she could fill. 

"Have you eaten anything?" Lena asked before she went out the door. "I'm thinking of ordering take-out". 

Maggie's stomach grumbled loudly as a response and both girls laughed. "I haven't eaten since this morning but I really need to go look for a part-time job before everyone else beats me to it". 

Lena nodded - Maggie could tell that she wanted to ask her why she was so eager to find a job right away but she apparently decided not to. Instead she went with "okay, well, maybe we'll get something when you come back. There's a vending machine at the end of the hall though if you want to grab a chocolate bar or something". 

Maggie agreed and trotted down the hall, inexplicably in a hurry, as if the one minute she was going to spend buying a bag of skittles was going to cost her a job. 

She fumbled with her leather wallet - a gift she had bought herself after getting her first leather jacket- and rummaged inside it for some change. 

She wasn't really looking where she was going and accidentally slammed into a girl that was passing by. The sudden hard contact almost made Maggie lose her balance. 

"Whoa, sorry," the girl apologized, hastily grabbing Maggie by the shoulders to keep her from falling. 

"No, it's my fault-" Maggie tried to look up at the - very polite - girl but she was already walking away with her back to her, holding two bags of crisps in her hand. 

She was taller than Maggie and slim, with short dark hair streaked with red highlights. 

The girl didn't look back and Maggie was slightly disappointed. 

But then she shook her head, snapping herself out of it, and headed outside to find herself a job.

The cool evening breeze hit her in the face and Maggie wrapped her red scarf around her neck. She started her quest at the Starbucks around the corner but was met with an apologetic refusal - they didn't have any vacancies. 

The same thing happened at the five cafes Maggie tried, all of them shaking their heads at her and explaining that they already had a whole bunch of students from last year working there and that they would call her if something ever came up. 

Maggie was feeling quite discouraged after she received another refusal from the small library opposite the dorm, and was getting ready to call it quits and try again tomorrow.

Until a little DVD shop, tucked away between a restaurent and the local pub, caught her eye. Maggie hadn't noticed it when she first started her search, and she hoped that it was the answer to her prayers. She really loved movies and if this worked out, then it'd be much more fun than dealing with rude people if she was one minute late with their coffee. 

Maggie pushed the door open, a little bell jingling as she did. 

A dark woman, busy putting DVDs inside their boxes, looked up curiously. She was very pretty and Maggie noted that she had kind brown eyes. 

"How can I help you, dear?" she asked, smiling at Maggie with something that was almost motherly. 

Maggie swallowed. "I, um- I was wondering if there were any vacancies here? I'm looking for a job". 

The woman smiled wider, putting the DVD -  _We Need To Talk About Kevin_ , Maggie checked - away and giving Maggie her full attention. "Right! Well, as a matter of fact, I do need some help around the shop".

Maggie beamed, relieved and hopeful, taking her CV out her back pocket and handing it to the woman. 

But the woman tutted and shook her head, pushing the paper back towards Maggie. 

"I don't care about your work experience, sweetheart," she said. "What I care about is how you feel about movies. I can't have anybody working in my store if they don't at least like what they're doing and know what they're talking about". 

Maggie nodded slowly. "I love movies," she said simply. "I have a big collection at home". 

"That's what I like to hear," the woman grinned approvingly. "Now, tell me about a movie that really left an impression on you. And please don't say Titanic". 

Maggie pondered this for a moment. She had watched so many movies that it was hard to pick only one. 

"This is hard," she laughed nervously. "I guess.. I guess I'd have to go with  _Perfect_   _Sense_? It's kind of an underground movie but-"

"I've seen it," the woman interrupted her, her eyes glistening and Maggie wondered if this was a good or a bad thing. "Go on, what did you like about it?"

"All of it," Maggie said honestly. "An epidemic is robbing the whole world of their five senses, one by one. And you get to see it unfold through everyone's eyes. Get to see them panic and then accept this new reality, because humans are made to adapt and to survive. And they do! And it's amazing, the camera work is amazing, the acting, the music, all of it,  _amazing_." Maggie feels like she's on a roll but she can't get herself to stop. "And the ending? Do you remember?" The woman nodded wordlessly, smiling. "With the music swelling, that beautiful violin, with all those brief clips of people all around the world, all the love? I have to admit, I cry like a little baby every time I watch it". 

She stops rambling, noticing that she's been waving her arms around for the past minute. 

The woman smacks her lips in thought and then clears her throat. Maggie winces - was this the wrong pick? 

"Welcome to The Movie Buff".

Maggie's eyes widened as she processed this. "Wait- I got it?"

"You got it," the woman shrugged easily. "Honey, I don't care which movie you pick. I just wanted to see you  _talk_ about your favorite movie. And I can tell you were very ... passionate. And passionate was an understatement. That's all I needed to know". 

Maggie resisted the urge to jump and click her heels together. 

"That's great, thank you, um..-"

"M'gann," the woman said, reaching out to shake Maggie's hand. Her grip was strong and confident.

"Maggie Sawyer".

"Okay, Maggie Sawyer, if you don't have anything planned for the night, how about you start right now? I can teach you the ropes real fast-"

"Now?" Maggie blurted - she didn't really mind but she was taken back by the readiness in which M'gann was trusting her with the store. 

"Sure, why not? I have a few errands to run and you seem like a quick learner". 

Maggie gave the room a subtle once-over - she saw two security cameras staring back at her.

Maybe M'gann was laid-back about this knowing that if Maggie tried something illegal, she will be easily caught red-handed. 

Or maybe M'gann was just a trusting person who believed the best in everyone.

Maggie will just have to wait and see.

"Alright, deal," she agreed and she couldn't help grinning as M'gann patted her amicably on the back and started explaining to her where everything was and how to enter DVDs that were borrowed and returned into the computer. 

 

~

Alex walked back into the room and tossed Kara the bag of crisps - BBQ, of course. 

Kara caught it without looking, mumbling a thank you, as she watched a video of Superman on Youtube, completely entranced. 

She didn't notice that Alex was standing there silently, staring into space. 

She was blaming herself for not looking back at the girl that had bumped into her. She was small and dark haired, but Alex hadn't really looked at her closely because she was too busy making sure she didn't smash her face into the ground. 

Alex had expected some kind of snippy comment - some girls here were annoying that way - but the stranger had surprised her by saying that it was her fault. 

Which it was. But still. 

But Alex didn't really do well with girls, she tried to avoid interacting with them. 

Ever since... Vicky. 

She sighed - she really didn't want to dig up the past but she felt like something was there. Like there was something that she needed to understand before putting that whole incident behind her. 

She plopped down on the small couch next to Kara, and took out her phone, quickly finding her last conversation with Vicky. 

Vicky had been her best friend all throughout school but something happened during senior prom and Alex couldn't get over it. 

**Vicky: Alex?**

**Vicky: Did u make it home ok??**

**Vicky: Alex I can tell that ur reading my texts!**

**(Missed Call)**

**Vicky: Look u dont have to b embarrassed! Im not mad at u!**

**Vicky: U were drunk, I get it..**

**Vicky: Can we just talk about it before I catch my plane 2mrw?**

**(Missed Call)**

**(Missed Call)**

**Vicky: fine..**

There was nothing after that. 

She sighed and looked towards Kara - only to catch her reading over her shoulder. 

"Kara!" she said, hiding the phone with exasperation in her voice although the damage was already done. "Have you ever heard of privacy?"

Kara ignored the question. "What are you doing reading this again? It's been two years". 

"I know, I know," Alex sighed, locking her phone. 

"Do you miss her or something?"

"No- yes- no, it's not.. it's not about  _her,_ specifically," Alex tried to explain it to Kara and to herself. "It's about me". 

Kara nodded, doing that cute little frown thing she does when she's trying really hard to understand. "You've told me that you kissed her but that you were just drunk-"

"Yeah".

"- and that sometimes best friends kissed when they were drunk-"

"Yep". 

"Okay, so what's left to understand?"

Alex opened her mouth to reply but drew a blank. Yes, best friends kissed. She had seen other girls do it during parties. 

But why did she make such a big deal out of it then?

Why did she run off right after it?

Why did she cry so much when she got home and blurted the whole thing to Kara when she came in to check up on her?

Why did she stop talking to Vicky? 

Deep down, she knew why. 

But she couldn't bring herself to say the words yet. Because she might be wrong and she hasn't really felt anything real for anyone else - and she wasn't sure that she had even felt anything real towards Vicky - and so she couldn't really say for sure. 

Kara was still waiting for an answer.

"You know what? I'm in the mood for a movie," Alex said a tad too enthusiastically, patting Kara on the leg and standing up.

Kara's eyes lit up. She loved movie night. "Ooh! With potstickers?"

"Sure!" Anything to keep you from asking me things I don't want to think about, she added to herself. 

Kara jumped up, wiggling like an excited puppy, as Alex grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on. 

"Where are we going?"

"To that DVD place around the corner, Movie Buff". 

 


	2. Her Eyes Are The Warmest Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Maggie finally meet!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are with Chapter 2!  
> Please leave your feedback, it always motivates to keep writing for all you wonderful people!  
> You can also say hi to me on stillascalmwater

Alex stepped into the DVD store, reveling in the familiar jingle as she opened the door. 

She had discovered the place early on during her first year - when she didn't really have a lot of friends and would spend her evenings watching movies at home, stuffing her face with popcorn and FaceTiming Kara. 

But even now - and even though her social life was way less pathetic than before - she still enjoyed popping over to grab a movie and engage in some friendly banter with M'gann. M'gann who never asked her why she wasn't out partying with the rest of the student population and who was more than ready to discuss whatever movie Alex was returning.

But it wasn't M'gann at the front desk. 

And before she could get disappointed, Alex forgot how to breathe for a little bit. 

The girl sitting at M'gann's computer, brow furrowed, wiggling the mouse with mild impatience, was one of the most beautiful girls Alex had ever seen. 

She had a slight tan making her dark features more pronounced; a thick brown mane, a perfect face bundled up in a red scarf, wearing a bad-ass leather jacket and a assortment of rings on her slender fingers. 

She hadn't heard Alex and Kara come in but then Kara whooped when she saw " _Moana"_  sitting on a shelf and almost tripped over her feet trying to run towards it. 

Alex rolled her eyes with a light chuckle - she will never get over how someone with superhuman powers like Kara could be such an endearing klutz- and looked back towards the counter only to realize that the girl was already staring at her. 

Big chocolate eyes, curious and shimmering and gorgeous. 

 _Objectively_ , Alex corrected her mental description. She's  _objectively_ gorgeous. 

The girl cleared her throat.

"Hi, um- I mean, welcome to Movie Buff, can I help you?"

She sounded new - Alex was definitely sure she had never seen her here before and she was definitely sure she hadn't seen her around campus. She would have noticed.  _Because I have a keen eye for detail,_ she corrected herself again. Not because she's hot.  _Objectively_ hot. 

"Um, n-no, we're good, thanks, just, um- looking around," Alex stumbled her way through a sentence and the girl tried to hide a smile. 

Great, now she thinks I'm a loser. Not that I care. 

She turned back to check up on Kara who had grabbed " _Moana_ " and a stack of other movies and was skipping towards her with a big goofy grin on her face. Alex could spot " _Miss Congeniality_ " in there, as well as " _The Secret Life Of Pets_ " and " _The Devil Wears Prada_ ". 

Kara's smile faltered when she registered Alex's squint-y glare and her crossed arms. 

"What-"

"Have you already forgotten our agreement, Kara Danvers? Because I distinctly remember giving up top bunk for this". 

Kara whined, clutching the movies to her chest as if they were her long lost children. "But, Alex,  _looook"_.

She shoved the boxes into Alex's line of vision, almost slamming her in the face with " _Avatar_ ". 

" _No_ , you can't have it both ways!"

 

~

Maggie tried not to be too obvious as she stared at the bickering siblings. 

Alex and Kara, she had heard them call each other. 

And she tried not to giggle as Kara put her hands together and gazed at Alex with blue eyes so big and sad that even Maggie felt herself weaken - even though she had nothing to do with this. 

But Alex had apparently seen this look way too frequently to be affected by it.

"No puppy eyes, Kara". 

Or maybe not. 

"Fine, you can get just  _one,_ okay? - ugh, fine just  _two_ \- alright, three. But we're watching _my_ movie first and that's how it's going to be for the rest of the month". 

Maggie grinned as Kara clapped her hands and galloped away to the Romcom section, leaving Alex to browse in peace. 

And Maggie tried not to gawk. 

Because Alex was really pretty, stunning even, with that pale perfect skin. those small delicate features and that lithe body. A tall drink of water. And she had completely caught Maggie by surprise, rendering her speechless for a few seconds before remembering that she always had to welcome customers as per M'gann's instructions. 

She also noticed that Alex had red highlights in her hair and wondered if she was the girl she had bumped into earlier. But no, that would be too much of a coincidence.

 _And even if it was her, this isn't a movie, Sawyer,_ she chastised herself, _it's not going to end with fireworks._

Alex walked around the shop slowly, avoiding eye contact and Maggie wondered whether she was doing it on purpose. 

 

~

Alex purposefully avoided the new girl's stare as she felt it following her across the store. 

 _She's probably making sure you don't steal anything_ , she told herself because anything other than that would turn her into a bundle of nerves. 

Alex stopped in front of a random section and grabbed a DVD arbitrarily, automatically flipping it to read the synopsis. 

She only pretended to read though because her thoughts were all over the place. 

Her mind took her back to that last moment with Vicky and she cursed herself for still thinking about this two years later. 

_She followed Vicky outside, because Vicky was drunk and upset that her ex-boyfriend was now dancing with some "stupid skank"._

_Alex held on to Vicky's arm with one hand - because they were both prone to slipping with their high heels and with alcohol in their bloodstream - and to the flask she had swiped from one of her mom's cabinets with the other._

_She wrapped her arms around Vicky as she stopped in her tracks, finally dissolving into tears, calling Jarett the worst names she could think of._

_Alex decided to help her out, throwing some names in there as well. "Asshat, dickwad, knobhead, assbadger, pisswizard, thundercu-"_

_Vicky's sobs suddenly turned into surprised laughter as she gazed at Alex with glazed eyes._

_"Assbadger?" she repeated._

_Alex just smiled modestly, trying not to burp in Vicky's face because that would be gross and they were bonding over assbadger._

_"You deserve better, Vick," Alex said emphatically._

_Vicky nodded to herself and pushed a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. Alex wished she could have done that. Vicky was so pretty and smart and she always smelled nice and her lips looked so soft and nice and she was having these thoughts really frequently lately and--_

_Vicky grabbed her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes with her hazel ones._

_"I wish you were a guy, Al," she sighed. "You're always so sweet with me and always there for me. It'd be so easy to date you"._

_Alex could feel her heartbeat hammer in her ear as Vicky rubbed her thumb against Alex's cheek._

_Vicky had said something about dating her._

_And Alex inexplicably felt really excited at that thought. Because she knew Vicky was her bestest friend but I mean - she sometimes thought about how smart and funny Vicky was and it wouldn't be such a stretch-_

_She didn't know why she did it._

_She leaned in  - Vicky's hands still holding her face - and grabbed on to Vicky's wrists, pulling her closer._

_And then she kissed her._

"Krypton to Alex. Hello? Oh- wow, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

Alex snapped out of her reverie, shaking her head. 

"Yes, wh-"

She turned away from Kara's bulging eyes and finally registered that she was holding a movie called "Everyone I Did Last Summer" from the adult films section. 

"Shit, I wasn't-"

She got cut short when she heard a muffled snort emanating from behind the counter. 

New-girl had her hand against her mouth, trying to look innocent and Alex glared at her, embarrassed. 

She decided to salvage whatever dignity she had left. 

"You know what, Kara, I can look at the adult section if I want to-"

"I mean, I guess-"

"I _am_ an adult, after all-"

"Right, I just don't want to watch this tonigh-"

"Kara, run along now, let me pick something". 

Kara rolled her eyes and walked away, shaking her head and twirling her finger next to her head in a "my sister is crazy" gesture. 

Alex didn't look back to check whether the girl was still looking her way. She decided to ignore her some more and walked around the different sections, waving her hand dismissively at Kara who was shouting at her from the other end of the shop that "you're going to pick a horror movie again, aren't you?"

Alex stopped when a movie caught her eye.

She gingerly picked it up - two girls leaning towards each other in an intimate way. Clearly not friends. 

One of the girls was a brunette and the other had blue hair. 

" _Blue Is The Warmest Color_ " she read. 

She read the synopsis quickly - A French teen forms a deep emotional and sexual connection with an older art student she met in a lesbian bar - and found herself really wanting to watch this. 

She realized that she was in the LGBT section of the shop and hesitated. 

Would this mean something? 

It's just a movie, right?

A movie about two girls in love. In lust. 

But straight people watched stuff like that too, right? I mean, this is the twenty-first century-

Was she straight though? 

~

Maggie was known for her poker-face but for some reason she had been unable to hold back her laughter at Alex staring intently at the back of a porn movie as if she was trying to defuse a bomb. And when Kara approached her cautiously, Alex's reaction had been priceless. 

She had initially thought that the two girls were together - they didn't really look like each other for her to assume that they were sisters - but their ongoing banter and familiarity towards each other clearly showed that they were siblings. 

But she wasn't laughing anymore as she saw Alex linger by the LGBT section - saw her reluctantly pick up a movie, turn it around in her fingers, put it back, pick it up again, put it back. 

Her heart went out to this girl because she had been this person once, a long time ago. 

And she knew how hard it was, how the simple task of renting a movie about two lesbians wasn't really all that simple. 

Maybe Alex was curious, maybe Alex was trying to explore her sexuality, maybe Alex already knew she was gay but didn't want to come out by checking out something from the LGBT pile. Maybe Alex was straight as a ruler and was just in the mood for something like this. 

She saw Alex finally and resolutely return the movie to the shelf and turn her back to it, grabbing a random movie from the horror section instead and walking over to her. 

Maggie quickly rearranged her features in a polite friendly mask. 

"Found what you were looking for?" she asked cordially. 

Alex averted her eyes, pushing the DVD towards her. "Sure". 

Maggie silently scanned the barcode on the side of the box, and clicked a few times with her mouse. 

The screen froze and Maggie groaned, tapping the mouse against the mousepad a few times, trying to be gentle even though this computer was already driving her crazy. 

She noticed that Alex was finally fully looking at her and grinning at her futile attempts. "Are you new?"

"Yeah, does it show?" Maggie replied, slamming the mouse one last time for good measure and earning herself a short breezy laugh from Alex. 

"A little," Alex teased, shifting nervously on her feet. "Where's M'gann?"

"Running errands," Maggie repeated dutifully. "She asked me to hold down the fort". A slight pause. "I'm Maggie, by the way". 

"I'm Danvers- I mean, Alex. Alex Danvers," Alex stuttered adorably. 

Maggie smiled softly - she didn't know why Alex was so nervous but she wanted her to relax a little. 

"It's nice to meet you, Danvers," she said and she could swear that Alex kind of swooned at that.

And then the little bundle of joy that was Kara, bounded over, slinging an arm around Alex's shoulders and pulling her close. Maggie heard a bone crack but it was probably just her imagination.

"And I'm Kara," she said with bubbly excitement. "What'd you get- oh no, Alex, why?"

Kara scowled at the new  _Rings_ movie and Maggie bit back a grin. 

"What?" Alex said innocently. 

"You know I couldn't sleep for days after watching the first one!" Kara protested and then she turned to Maggie. "You've seen it, right?"

Maggie nodded. Of course, she had. "It's pretty freaky". 

Alex shrugged. "I didn't think it was  _that_ scary. I don't know why you had to stop watching TV for a whole week--". 

"She comes out of the TV! That's how she gets you! Right after she comes out of that hole-"

"A well," Alex and Maggie corrected simultaneously and then shared a quick surprised glance. 

"Right, a well," Kara huffed impatiently. "I don't see what's wrong with the stuff I picked". 

Alex patted her sympathetically on the shoulder but her tone was teasing. "Nothing's wrong with what you picked. We've just made a deal and I know you still haven't grasped that concept here on Ear- I mean, a deal's a deal". 

Kara groaned as if this was the worst thing she had ever had to go through and stood by grumpily as Maggie tried to enter the information into the system for the third time.

"I'm sorry," Maggie said once again, grateful that Kara and Alex didn't seem too bothered by the wait. "I really don't know what's wrong with this thing-"

Alex reached across the counter, naturally placing her hand on top of Maggie's on the mouse. 

She froze as she realized what she was doing and cleared her throat clumsily but Maggie didn't move her hand away. Alex's hand was warm and her fingernails were short and clean- a detail that Maggie absently registered.

"I, um-" Alex fumbled. "Can I-?"

"Sure, go ahead," Maggie said easily, but inwardly trying to understand why this random girl that had walked in the shop ten minutes ago was making her feel so... Flustered?

It could be because she was so pretty but Maggie had seen her share of pretty girls.

Alex kept her hand on top of Maggie's, her ring finger pressing down on Maggie's as she right-clicked a few times. 

Maggie looked back at the screen and gasped softly.

"Hey, it's not frozen anymore!"

Alex smiled softly with a touch of pride. "I figured, I've seen this happen with M'gann a few times but I think it's still a-"

"A bit laggy, yeah," Maggie bit her lip as they both moved the mouse around, hands still touching, noticing the cursor's delay. 

Alex finally realized that she had kept her fingers on Maggie's hand for longer than was required and hastily removed them, rubbing the back of her neck. "I, um- I can look at it for you, if you don't mind? I've - M'gann has had this problem before and I've fixed it, so-"

Maggie perked up at that. "Really? That's great, you'd be a life-saver". 

Alex walked around the counter, standing behind Maggie's chair and leaning forwards to tap on the keyboard, doing some kind of troubleshoot. Maggie was bad at computers and understanding all the technobabble so she just sat back and stared at the screen as Alex hummed in concentration. 

She could smell Alex's perfume from here and tried not to lean into it. She smelled sweet and clean, a bit like vanilla, but slightly musky as well as if she had sprayed on some men's deodorant before leaving the house. 

Kara stood there, watching them both with slightly squint-y eyes, as if she was trying to work out something. 

"There!" Alex said triumphantly, wiggling the mouse around. "Done". 

Maggie gave it a few wiggles as well, and beamed when the pointer slid across the screen with no lag this time. 

"My hero," she said and Alex caught her eye for a nanosecond before averting hers with a shy smile. 

She walked back towards Kara - who was being very out-of-character with her alert silence - and waited as Maggie scanned the barcode again. 

And then Maggie sighed, and grinned sheepishly.

"Let me just grab you another copy, it won't read this barcode".

Alex and Kara nodded casually. 

"I'm really sorry, I've kept you here for so long-"

"It's fine, Maggie, it's really not a problem," Alex replied and her voice was soothing and gentle and Maggie's name sounded so nice rolling off her tongue like that. 

"Yeah, I'm really not eager to go back home anyway," Kara finally said, looking pointedly at _Rings._ "So just take your time". 

Maggie smiled at them both, infusing a thank you in her head tilt, and then trotted off to the horror section, quickly scanning the shelves for another copy of the movie. But then she had an idea. A sudden idea that she initially tried to dismiss. Because the horror section was right next to the LGBT section and it would be so easy to-

 _No, Maggie_ , she scolded herself. _You can't decide things for other people._

 _But what if this girl just needed a little push_ , another voice piped up inside her head. 

Maggie grabbed the  _Rings_ movie and paused, pondering her choices. She glanced up and saw Alex laughing at some impersonation Kara was doing, their backs turned. She thought about this for one more second and then decided to go with her gut feeling. She grabbed the LGBT movie Alex was checking out a few minutes ago and exchanged the digital discs stealthily and efficiently. 

And then she returned back to the counter just as M'gann was pushing the door open. 

"Alex, heyyyy!" M'gann said with a dazzling smile, enveloping Alex in her arms. "It's been a while, honey. How was your summer?"

Alex hugged M'gann back and then pulled away to raise one shoulder in a so-so gesture. 

M'gann was tactful enough not to prod further. She turned towards a grinning Kara and patted her cheek affectionately. 

"And you must be Kara". Kara nodded enthusiastically. "Alex has told me so much about you". 

Kara threw Alex a sidelong glance and M'gann laughed. "All good things, dear, don't worry". 

M'gann finally turned towards Maggie who had successfully managed to scan the barcode, typing with superhuman speed so that M'gann doesn't realize that the barcode wasn't actually registering as  _The Rings_ on the system. 

"How you holding up, friend?"

"Great!" Maggie said, outwardly cool and collected, a trait she was glad she possessed. "Had a minor blip with the computer but Alex fixed it". 

"Oh, that's my bad," M'gann winced apologetically. "I should have told you it acted up sometimes. Lucky thing Alex was here". 

"Yeah, very lucky," Maggie said softly and Alex blushed at all the attention, grabbing the movie and walking backwards towards the door with a swift goodbye. 

"We'll let you know how scary it was," Kara said, collecting her own movies, and waving at Maggie.

Please do, Maggie thought to herself, wondering how she had managed to already mess up on her first day on the job. 

 

~

Maggie was surprised when she opened the door to her room and found that Lena had a guest.

She stilled in the doorway, wondering if she was intruding on something intimate. 

But Lena ushered her in with a big smile on her face. 

"Maggie! I got your text, I'm so glad you found a job!"

"Thanks, I, um-"

"Oh, where are my manners, this is my good friend, James," Lena pointed towards the big dark-skinned man, sitting at the foot of Lena's bed.

James smiled widely and Maggie was almost blinded by his white smile. 

"It's nice to meet you, Maggie," he said with a deep clear voice and Maggie instinctively knew that he was an okay guy. 

"Nice to meet you too, James. Are you two, um-" she pointed at them both with a suggestive look in her eyes.

Lena and James gave each other a quick glance and then dissolved into laughter.

"Ew, no," James said as Lena recovered from her bouts of laughter to smack him on the shoulder. 

"What do you mean " _ew_ ", Jimmy Olsen?"

"No offense, L, but you're not my type," James nudged her gently while his shoulders still shook with laughter. 

Lena pursed her lips at that but Maggie could see that she was amused - and used to this. 

"Like I'd want to have sex with you," Lena added as an afterthought, wanting to have the last word.

James mimicked hurling and Lena and Maggie couldn't resist giggling. 

"You're such a loser," Lena said but her tone was fond and kind and Maggie could easily assume that they were very close friends. "Should I tell Maggie how you picked  _me_ for your photography project?"

"What project?" Maggie asked as James rolled his eyes.

Lena's eyes glinted. "Oh, he had to put together some kind of portfolio with a subject of his choice and he chose  _me_. It's how we became friends actually, he has a file with about fifty pictures of me back in his room". She pulled on James' ear playfully. "Why'd you choose me if I'm so hideous, huh Jimmy?"

James swatted at her hand. "They told us to pick the ugliest thing we could find".

Maggie threw her head back with surprised laughter and even Lena couldn't help but smirk at his wit.

"Lies," she said simply and they both looked at each other tenderly. 

"Yeah, yeah," James replied, shaking his head in mock-exasperation. And then he turned towards Maggie with eager eyes: "Lena and I were waiting for you to come back to order some take-out". 

"Really?" Maggie said, weirdly touched with this random act of thoughtfulness. "But I've been gone for hours".

"I can't eat by myself," Lena explained casually. "And I wanted us to share our first meal here together, roomie". 

James finally found the take-out menu under Lena's sheets and handed it to Maggie. 

"We've already picked, so just add what you want," he told her, handing her Lena's computer next. 

And Maggie tried not to smile as she looked at the assortment of dishes, trying to choose between the Pad Stay Sauce and the Pad Pho Tak, and as James and Lena engaged in playful criticism over each other's new profile pictures on Facebook, ultimately deciding that the best one would be the one that would get the most likes in two hours, and trying to coax Maggie into liking theirs instead of the other's. 

And as Maggie liked both pictures, claiming that she didn't want to pick sides and get murdered in her sleep, she found herself thinking that maybe life here wouldn't be so bad after all. 

And then she thought about Alex Danvers and she smiled wider without even knowing why. 

 

~

"This doesn't look scary," Kara commented with delight, putting the bowl of popcorn between herself and Alex.

Alex grabbed a handful. "That's because it's not the movie I picked".

Kara frowned as the people onscreen started speaking French. Good thing for subtitles. "Oh, what is this?"

"Blue is the warmest color," Alex replied automatically and Kara gave her a curious glance. "I, um- I've seen the trailer on TV. It's about... two girls in love".

"Mm," Kara shrugged and shoveled popcorn into her mouth. "Do you want to watch it?"

Alex squirmed a little uncomfortably. 

It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the movie she had her eye on had conveniently found its way inside the horror movie box. 

Maggie had probably seen her having her mini crisis and exchanged the DVDs. But why?

And was she upset by this turn of events or not?

She decided to think about that later as Kara paused the movie, waiting for an answer.

"I don't mind," Alex shrugged, trying to seem relaxed and nonchalant. "Do you?"

Kara raised her palms up. "Hey, a deal's a deal, you pick".

Alex grinned at that and pinched Kara's rosy cheeks. 

"Alright, little sis, press play". 

The two sisters quickly got invested in the movie, watching Adele go on a journey of self discovery. Watching Adele discover that she wasn't really into men - a sentiment that Alex found herself empathizing with.

And Alex flinched when Adele tried kissing her friend and was met by a polite but firm rejection as the friend wasn't into that kind of thing. Wow, was this movie based on her life or what?

And then they watched Adele finally meet the mysterious blue haired girl, Emma. Kara thought that Emma looked very cool and that Adele was a puppy and she fawned overthe actresses'french accents and Alex was pleasantly surprised when Kara started rooting for the couple to get together. 

Alex watched, mostly silently, commenting here and there on random things. She was trying to figure out how she felt about all of this.

And when Adele and Emma finally kissed- and as Kara whooped and clapped, spilling popcorn everywhere - Alex felt a weird burning sensation inside her. 

Her kiss with Vicky was brief - and very quickly interrupted by Vicky pulling back. 

She wondered what it would feel like to kiss a girl and have that girl kiss her back. 

A picture of Maggie popped in her mind - with those adorable dimples and those clear inquisitive eyes... and those soft-looking lips - and she shook her head to dispel that image. Why was she thinking of Maggie's lips right now? She barely knew the girl, barely exchanged a few words with her. She did  _not_ want to kiss her. 

And then Kara and Alex averted their eyes and cleared their throats as Adele and Emma started scissoring and going down on each other and basically just fucking each other's brains out. Alex didn't mind sex scenes but having her little sister around wasn't the most comfortable of situations. They sat in awkward silence until Kara broke it with: 

"How long is this going to be? They've been at it for ten minutes, we get it". 

Alex snorted with laughter at that and Kara chuckled as well and then the scene cut to something else thankfully and both sisters breathed a sigh of relief. 

And the scene with Adele and Emma fighting was so intense and raw that Alex felt like she was intruding on something that was private. She had never felt this way watching a movie before, never really empathized with characters to this extent and felt so profoundly for them. She didn't know who to sympathize with the most. 

And then the credits rolled after three hours - that seemed like way less because of how enjoyable the movie was - and Kara wiped the tears that had been rolling down her face for the past half hour and turned towards a gloomy Alex. 

"That was sad but also really good," Kara said.

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah? You enjoyed it?"

Kara nodded slowly. "Mhm. Way better than straight romance movies I think. Their relationship is much more... believable?". 

Alex spontaneously leaned forwards and hugged a surprised Kara. 

She loved her little sister for that, for those little things that made Alex feel like everything was okay and that she wasn't weird for liking what she liked. 

Not that she was ready to admit anything right now - but she was maybe one step closer to that. 

"Yeah, I think I like.. LGBT movies too," she admitted, her voice slightly muffled against Kara's hair, feeling a small weight lift off her shoulders at those four letters. 

And the way Kara hugged her tighter made her think that maybe Kara knew exactly what that sentence implied.

And that she loved her just the same. 


	3. We Should Kiss The Girls We Want To Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Maggie get to know each other a little better. Also, a party.

Maggie looked up as the door to the store slid open, bell jingling, and Alex Danvers walked in. 

It had been three whole days since that DVD-switch and Maggie had been low-key freaking out. 

She knew it was out of line to do something like that and it really wasn't like her to care about random strangers and their quests for self-discovery. 

But as Alex walked up to the counter -eyes like an ocean, wide and bottomless- she knew that it was that vulnerable, scared look in Alex's eyes that had pushed her into doing what she had done. 

She only hoped Alex wasn't going to cause a scene. 

"Morning," Alex said, clearing her throat and sliding the " _Rings"_ DVD towards Maggie. "I'd like to return this". 

"Good morning," Maggie said cautiously, pulling the DVD closer to scan the barcode. 

Alex wasn't saying anything about the mix-up, just shifting on her feet and looking around nervously. Maggie was glad that she was going to maybe get away with this.

But then she opened her big mouth for some reason.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" she asked, regretting it instantly - why would she  _ask_ this?

Alex blinked slowly as she processed Maggie's question and the implications behind it.

Maggie could almost see the wheels turning inside her head as she weighed the pros and cons - and Maggie didn't even know Alex Danvers but she somehow knew that she had the tendency to overthink. 

"It was... interesting," Alex finally said, measuring her words. "Not quite what I expected". 

"Oh? Why, what were you expecting?" Maggie asked again.  _Why_ was she prodding around like this? 

Alex's eyes glinted with something right then, a glint that made her suddenly seem self-assured and determined and Maggie gulped at the sudden transformation. Alex Danvers was clearly a woman of many facets. 

"I was expecting something less.. french".

"French?" Maggie repeated, finally realizing that she had scanned the barcode twelve times by now. 

Alex grinned - it wasn't exactly a friendly grin but it wasn't unfriendly either. It was a curious, hesitant one, as if Alex was still on the fence about whether she should engage with her or not. 

"Maggie, why did you switch the DVDs?" 

Maggie's jaw dropped slightly because of two reasons: one, she hadn't expected Alex to be so direct with her question - she had actually expected a lot of skirting around and spluttering - and two, she hadn't thought that Alex still remembered her name. 

The first reason made her anxious, the second inexplicably made her giddy. 

But Alex was waiting for an answer and she knew she owed her an explanation.

"I- Okay, I'm going to be completely honest with you here -"

"Mhm". 

"I saw how.. conflicted you were by the LGBT section," Maggie confessed, wincing at how stupid she sounded. "It looked like you really wanted to watch that movie and I thought you were - I don't know, maybe you were too embarrassed to borrow it and so I... decided to help?"

"Mhm". 

Alex had her arms crossed, apparently waiting for more.

"That's- that's it," Maggie said, lifting her palms up in a weak "ta-da" gesture. 

"Why, though?" Alex asked with a squint in her eyes, as if she was trying to reach inside Maggie's brain.

"Why what?"

"Why did you bother?"

Maggie bit her lower lip and stared at the counter for a solid ten seconds as she tried to think of an answer- and so couldn't really see that Alex was watching her lips with eyes that were wider than usual.

"I.. I don't know, actually," Maggie finally replied, the corners of her mouth lifting in an apologetic smile. "I guess I thought you might need a push". 

"I'm not gay," Alex said hastily.

Maggie frowned. "I didn't say you were".

"Not that there's anything wrong with being gay-"

"Of course not. I should know," Maggie shrugged easily. 

Alex paused at that.

She looked so lost and confused that Maggie didn't really have the heart to stretch this out.

"I'm gay".

Alex's lips parted in surprise but then she seemed to realize that she was gawking and shook her head. 

"Wow, I- um- I didn't know- I'm sorry-"

Maggie laughed softly. "What are you sorry for? It's not a disease". 

"No, I know, I-" Alex face-palmed herself and Maggie thought it was one the most adorable things she had ever seen. "I'm making this awkward". 

"You're not, Danvers". 

Maggie was starting to notice a pattern every time she called Alex by her last name - she was seriously sort of swooning, posture relaxing and eyes getting soft. She should maybe use it more often.  _If I ever see her again, of course._

Meanwhile, Alex was clearly struggling with something, fighting some internal demon. 

"I lied," she blurted. 

"Wh-"

"I think I might be.. I might be that". 

"That?"

"I think I might be... into girls," Alex spluttered, waving her hands around. "I'm.. not sure. Or maybe I don't want to be sure?"

Maggie nodded sympathetically, tilting her head. This was definitely familiar. 

And then Alex seemed to realize that she was having a life-changing conversation with a girl she had only just recently met. 

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I- this wasn't- this wasn't appropriate was it, you're just here-"

"Alex-"

"- doing your job, and I'm just-"

"Alex-"

"- blabbing about myself-"

Maggie reached out and grabbed Alex's wrists - surprised she managed to catch them on her first try because Alex had whole animated conversations with her hands when she was distressed - and brought them down gently on the counter. 

Alex gazed, transfixed, at Maggie's fingers touching her skin. 

"You're not wasting my time," Maggie spoke softly, as if she was trying to calm down Buck, the horse she used to ride back at her grandmother's farm. "I get it. I get that sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger than to people you're close to". 

Alex nodded wordlessly at that and she seemed so sad that Maggie had to fight the urge to hug her.

"You can talk to me, you know. I'm a good listener". 

Alex gave a small smile at that and then wiped at the corners of her eyes. "That's very nice of you, but-"

Maggie lifted her palms. "Hey, no pressure. Just know the offer stands, whether you want to use it now or later on". 

Alex nodded again, silently, gratefully, eyes lingering on Maggie's face. 

And then she seemed to snap out of it.

"Well, thanks, I'll uh- leave you to it". 

"You can stay if you want," Maggie found herself saying. "If you have nowhere else to be". 

"Yeah? Do you need help?"

Alex's eyes were hopeful and Maggie didn't really have all that much to do but she could always find something. They could arrange the DVDs in reverse alphabetical order if she ran out of ideas. 

"Oh yeah, I'm swamped. You'd be a life-saver...again".

 

~

 

Kara walked around campus, adjusting her glasses repeatedly and hoping she doesn't make a fool out of herself.

She didn't technically have any courses to attend just yet - it was Friday and courses started on Monday - but Alex had pressured her into exploring the campus anyway.

"You might end up making some friends," Alex had explained reasonably as she got ready to head out to the DVD store. "And they're always handing out flyers for some kind of party". 

Kara hadn't been able to really have a conversation with anyone. She considered herself as a friendly, outgoing person but she had always found it difficult to take the first step. Even thought she had been on Earth for quite a few years now, she always worried that she'd mess up by accidentally breaking someone's hand while shaking it or saying "hello Earthlings" instead of a simple "hey guys!"

She grabbed her phone. She had promised Alex not to text her unless it was an emergency but she decided to consider this as one. 

**Kara (12:05): Help!!**

**Alex (12:06): u ok??**

**Alex (12:06): is anyone bothering u??**

**Kara (12:07): well.. no**

**Kara (12:07): I just dont really know what to do?**

**Kara (12:07): COME HANG OUT WITH ME :) :)**

**Kara (12:10): answer faster pls**

**Alex (12:12): Kar, im kind of busy right now**

**Alex (12:12): isn't there a journalism booth somewhere?**

**Kara (12:12): maybe? I think im too early, everyone is probably still sleepin**

**Alex (12:14): ok well go look for some kind of booth, or try and find out if there r any parties this weekend.**

**Kara (12:15): like a mission?**

**Kara (12:18): ?????????????????/**

**Alex (12:18): yes Kara, im sending you on a mission**

**Kara (12:18) : cool! ok i can do that**

**Kara (12:18): what r u so busy doing tho?**

**Kara (12:19): i thought you were just returnin that dvd**

**Alex (12:20): I'm helping Magdsij around the shop**

**Kara (12:20): who now??**

**Alex (12:20): Maggie.**

**Kara (12:21): the cute shop girl?? ooooh**

**Alex (12:21): the shop girl yes**

**Kara (12:21): who is also cute. winky face**

**Alex (12:21): stop that. and u know u can actually send me a winky face instead of just writing it**

**Kara (12:22): ok ;)**

**Alex (12:22): bye now**

**Kara (12:23) bye ;)**

 

**~**

"Everything okay?" Maggie asked as Alex rolled her eyes at her phone and then pocketed it. 

"Oh, yeah. It's just Kara. You remember her, she's-"

"Your sister, of course. Can't forget someone so bubbly".

Alex smirked. Bubbly was one way to put it. 

"If by bubbly you mean annoying". 

Alex's tone and words didn't really match - her voice was soft and amused as she spoke about her sister and Maggie understood that she didn't really bother Alex all that much.

"You two seem really close," she observed and was happy to see Alex smile fondly, not looking up as she busied herself with M'gann's computer.

"Yeah, we are. She's... my best friend".

"Awww," Maggie beamed, eyebrows pulled together - which was the face she usually reserved for when she saw a puppy.

And Alex Danvers apparently.

"It's lame, I know-"

"No, it's not. It's very sweet," Maggie said firmly.

Alex smiled again, glancing towards Maggie for a second and then clearing her throat before looking back at the screen.

"Yeah, it's always been us against the world". 

Alex didn't expand on that and Maggie didn't want to be too nosy. She hoped she'll get to hear more about the adventures of the Danvers sisters someday. For now, she lets Alex concentrate on her task. 

Maggie had decided that Alex could help by sending emails to customers who were late returning their DVDs. She was a fast typer and Maggie knew that she was good with computers and so couldn't possibly mess it up. She didn't want M'gann scolding her in case Alex accidentally broke something - which wasn't beyond the realms of possibility considering how nervous Alex sometimes was.

"Please return the movie  _Jaws_  as it has exceeded our two-week check-out limit," Alex typed out-loud, looking at Maggie for approval. 

Maggie nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.

"We will be forced to take legal measures against you if you fail to do so and will ban you from entering cinemas or approaching a body of water that may potentially contain sharks -" Alex continued, still typing. 

Maggie nodded automatically and then gasped as she registered Alex's words. 

"Alex, no!"

" - as your obsession with this movie has us worried about the safety and well-being of our finned friends". 

Maggie jumped across the counter, grabbing Alex's wrist to stop her from typing anything else and craning her neck to look at the screen. She sighed with relief when she realized that Alex hadn't really written anything and that she was actually laughing mirthfully, clutching her sides. 

Maggie tried to glare at her but couldn't help laughing as well. 

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Danvers," she scolded.

"I'm sorry, it was just too easy," Alex giggled.

Maggie shook her head and went back to her interrupted task, noting that Alex had a lingering smile on her lips as she typed out an actual email. Maggie was looking at the list of movies they had in the shop and adding ones she thinks they should get their hands on.  

She shook her head as she double-checked the list. "I can't believe M'gann doesn't have  _Black Swan_ here".

"Oh, I really like that movie". 

"You do?"

Alex leaned back in her chair and raised her eyebrows. "You sound surprised". 

"I actually _am_ , a little. Not a lot of people get it".

Maggie remembered trying to discuss the movie with some of her "friends" back at her old college. They had called the movie "pretentious" and "boring". And Maggie didn't usually mind people having different opinions and tastes concerning movies but it did kind of bother her that no one seemed to understand what the movie was about.  

"I did have to watch it three times to really get it," Alex admitted. "There's so much symbolism in there".

Oh no. Maggie didn't want to geek out but she had been wanting to talk about the symbolism in that movie since forever and she couldn't really stop herself as she folded her hands on her lap with a "glad you mentioned that".

She then launched into a ten minute speech about how the movie is really about the sacrifices you are forced to make in order to make it in the world of show business and how Nina's trauma and psychological suffering as she tries to find her darker side, forces her to dissociate into a state of insanity.

" - the movie focuses on mirrors, because her reflection is actually an alter-ego with a mind of its own and-"

Maggie stopped mid-sentence as she realized that she has been going on about this for quite a while and Alex is probably bored by now.

Alex seemed to read her mind though.

"I like listening to people talk about things they're passionate about," Alex reassured, a little nervously, wiggling the mouse around for no reason. "You seem very passionate about movies".

"I am," Maggie smiled. "I'm passionate about a lot of things though".

She didn't mean for it to come out that way and she tried to backtrack as Alex suddenly busied herself with the computer, eyes glued to the screen.

"So, um- the movie I made you watch-" Maggie said, because she couldn't really find any other subject to redeem the situation. "Did you enjoy it?"

"You didn't  _make_ me watch it," Alex replied, her eyes shifting towards Maggie again. "I- yeah, I really liked it". 

Maggie nodded. Alex didn't seem like she wanted to add anything else and she didn't want to pry. 

But then Alex took a deep breath.

"I was- well, I was kind of wondering whether.." 

Alex let the rest of her sentence hover there between them, unfinished. 

"Do you want me to recommend ... similar movies?" Maggie guessed, her voice gentle. 

Alex's gaze jumped everywhere before settling on hers and Maggie knew how hard it was to accept your sexuality and eventually learn to embrace it and so she waited. 

And then Alex nodded and breathed out a long sigh and Maggie realized that Alex had been holding her breath. 

"Okay, Danvers, wait right here". 

Maggie slid off her chair and headed to the LGBT section which she had memorized like the back of her hand. She grabbed a few DVDs and then headed back to the counter, where Alex was clicking a ballpoint pen anxiously.

And then her eyes widened with interest as Maggie placed the DVDs on the counter and Maggie knew that Alex's curiosity was going to trump her nervousness.

"Alright, I am ready to be educated".

 

~

 

"What is Winn  _doing_?" Lena chuckled as she handed James his double espresso. 

James grinned widely, moving his camera bag to make room for Lena on the grass. 

They were sitting at their usual spot on campus, a vantage point where they could observe everyone - and James always found interesting things to photograph here. Speaking of..

James grabbed his camera and snapped a quick picture of his new roommate and freshman, Winn Schott, as he fidgeted nervously next to an attractive blonde girl who was looking intently at a flyer.

The girl wasn't really paying any attention to Winn, adjusting her glasses slowly and pulling her phone out to text somebody.

Winn took a step towards her and then seemed to change his mind, pretending to grab a flyer as well when the girl glanced up at him curiously.

"Should we save him?" James suggested, taking a sip of coffee and then hissing as it burned his lips. 

Lena smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "You always do that, you know it's too hot".

James shrugged and took another sip cheekily, lifting his eyebrows at Lena and trying not to grimace as the hot liquid scalded his tongue again. 

Lena rolled her eyes at him, sampling her own caramel iced coffee. "You know I don't care if you burn yourself, right?"

"Whatever," James laughed. " _Do_ you want to save Winn though?"

Lena hummed noncommittally, glancing at Winn and the girl once again. She had met Winn yesterday night when she dropped by for some pizza at James'.

He was a timid guy with the tendency to ramble when he was nervous - especially in the presence of pretty girls - but he was actually quite smart and insightful once you got to know him. 

He was clearly at his rambling phase at the moment though and could really use a hand. And the girl seemed oblivious to everything around her - everything except the flyer she was clutching in her hand and her phone in the other. 

"Yeah, let's be heroes," she finally said, hopping up and dusting off the back of her trousers. 

She followed James - trying to keep up with his big strides - as he marched over to Winn, giving him a strong friendly pat on the shoulder that almost had Winn tipping over. 

"Winn, what's taking you so long, man?"

Winn's eyes flicked briefly towards the blonde girl and then rested on James' beaming face. 

James winked at him. 

"I, uh, was just looking at- this," Winn handed James the flyer -which Lena promptly snatched for herself, scanning it efficiently.

"A party," she smirked, tilting her eyebrows suggestively. "Are you in, Jimmy?"

"Sure," James shrugged. "Winn, are you bringing your new friend too?"

Winn frowned at that. "Who-"

James ignored Winn and stepped closer to the blonde girl who was clicking away on her phone, tilting his head to catch her eye. 

"Hey there, I'm James Olsen, but you can call me Jimmy". 

The girl's head snapped up, startled at being spoken to and then her eyes registered the three people standing there gazing at her expectantly and she gave a guarded smile.

"Um, hi?" she said. "I'm Kara".

James nodded and then nudged Winn lightly. 

"Are you coming to the party with Winn?"

Kara frowned and Lena bit back a smile - she had to hand it to James, he was pretty daring. 

"I, uh- I don't know a Winn". 

"We haven't- she was just standing here, I don't know who she is," Winn glared at James, giving Kara an apologetic smile which she thankfully returned.

Lena decided to step in to salvage the situation. 

"I'm Lena Luthor," she said confidently, reaching out to shake Kara's hand. "Ignore these two idiots". 

James and Winn tried to protest but Lena dismissed them with a breezy wave of her hand. She registered Kara's slightly surprised eyes as she stared at Lena, as she adjusted her glasses and accepted Lena's hand. 

"Firm handshake," Lena noted, impressed and Kara blushed. 

Lena knew that she had the ability to charm anyone she met - and she and James actually had an ongoing bet on who could get the most telephone numbers by the end of the year. It was a challenge they had every year - Lena had lost the first year, won the second and this year was to be the clincher. It didn't matter whether the numbers belonged to men or women and that suited Lena just fine. 

"You're new here?" Lena asked, pretty sure that Kara was a freshman. 

She had never seen her around campus before and she was too pretty to be missed. Plus, she looked like a lost puppy. 

Kara nodded, her posture more comfortable now as she seemed to ascertain that these people didn't really mean any harm. "Yeah, I am. I'm studying journalism". 

James, Winn and Lena whooped at that and Kara smiled at their exuberance. 

"Welcome to the club," James said, shaking Kara's hand. 

"We'll, uh- we'll be having courses together then," Winn added shyly. 

"Well, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask James or me," Lena said, giving Kara a genuine grin. "Although James is a bit of a loser, so you should probably ask me instead".

Lena ignored James' booming "Hey!" and pointed at the flyer in Kara's hand. 

"First fresher party. You planning on going?"

"Maybe?" Kara said. "I'm checking if my sister's coming too". 

Lena was weirdly touched hearing that- she had never really had a good relationship with her brother and it always pleasantly surprised her when siblings got along. 

"The more the merrier," James beamed.

"Yeah, bring your sister," Lena nodded earnestly. "These parties are always a lot of fun. Do you want to meet us there?"

Kara didn't hesitate this time, blue eyes meeting Lena's green ones. 

"You bet".

 

~

 

**Kara (13:11): ALEX I MADE SOME FRIENDS!!!**

**Kara (13:11): I think?**

**Kara (13:11): I spoke to some people and they asked me to come to this party tonight!!!!**

**Kara (13:12): How cool is that???**

**Alex (13:15): Very cool Kar!**

**Kara (13:15): I KNOW!**

**Kara (13:16): Also ur coming with me**

**Alex (13:17): What????**

**Alex (13:17): Kara i told you to see if there was a party so YOU can go**

**Alex (13:17): u know im not big on parties**

**Kara (13:18): are u going to leave your baby sister all by herself**

**Kara (13:18): at her first ever party**

**Kara (13:18): getting drunk**

**Alex (13:20): u know u dont get drunk on human alcohol**

**Kara (13:20): well im going to be PRETENDING to be drunk**

**Kara (13:20): bad decisions and all**

**Alex (13:20): ur hardly my BABY sister**

**Alex (13:20): ur 18, ur old enough to take care of yourself**

**Kara (13:22): *picture sent***

**Alex (13:22): i cant believe ur puppy eye-ing me over text**

**Kara (13:23): did it work?**

**Alex (13:24): i hate you**

**Kara (13:24) : love u too sistaaa ok byeeeee**

 

~

 

**Lena (13:15): party 2nit**

**Lena (13:15): wooooo**

**Lena (13:15): me & james**

**Lena (13:15): also winn**

**Lena (13:16): interested?**

**Maggie (13:16): yep.**

**Lena (13:16): loving the excitement Mags!**

 

**~**

 

"Sorry about that," Alex said, pocketing her phone once more and resigning herself to the fact that she was apparently going to a party tonight.

"No worries, Danvers," Maggie replied, sliding her own phone away from her, secretly glad that Lena was asking her to tag along and was now referring to her as "Mags".

Alex focused once more on the DVDs piled up on the counter.

"Okay, you have my full attention - but wait, won't you get in trouble with M'gann for ditching your work duties to do this instead?"

Maggie shrugged. "This is part of my job. Educating a fellow human being on the wonders of LGBT movies". 

"Nicely put". 

Maggie cleared her throat and pointed at the first DVD box, sliding it across the counter for Alex to look at.

" _Imagine Me & You,_ a total classic. Your typical story. A beautiful woman meets another beautiful woman at the first woman's wedding reception, which leads to them becoming close friends and -"

"No spoilers," Alex warned, lifting a finger up.

Maggie nodded gracefully, pretending to zip her lips. 

"Is that how, um- lesbian movies usually start?" Alex said, forcing the word out. It felt weird to say it. 

"Well,  _I Can't Think Straight_ definitely falls under that category," Maggie replied, pushing another DVD towards Alex. "Woman about to get married meets another woman who is dating a man and lots of gay feelings ensue". She dug around in the pile for another one. "And-  _A Perfect Ending_. Older woman in an unhealthy marriage falls in love with a mysterious artsy prostitute". 

Alex smiled at Maggie's presentation of each movie. 

"Brief and to the point". 

Maggie shrugged humbly. 

"Don't want to give too much away, Danvers". 

"I'm sensing a pattern though. Are the women in these movies initially straight until proven otherwise?"

"Nice phrasing," Maggie grinned. "Well, I admit, a lot of movies take that road. Is it sloppy writing or is it based on real-life facts?"

Alex lifted her palms with abandon. "Can't help you there, I, um- you're way more experienced than I am at, um- the gays". 

Maggie laughed fully at that, double-dimples and all, and Alex suddenly didn't mind making a fool out of herself if it made Maggie laugh like that.

"The gays," Maggie repeated softly, her shoulders shaking with silent giggles. "I certainly  _do_ have some experience with the gays. I guess that some people - not everyone, of course, because every individual has his or her own experience - sometimes "try out" the opposite sex". Her fingers formed quotation marks. 

"Try out?" 

"Yeah, well," Maggie shrugged casually. "The logic behind that is 'you never know until you try' and some girls want to be absolutely sure they're not into guys before finally coming to terms with who they are. And some are just curious to see what it's like". 

Alex nodded - she knew a thing or two about that. She had tried making out with boys back at school and during her freshman year at college and she was pretty sure that it was definitely not her thing. 

"Have you.. uh, tried?" Alex asked.

Maggie smiled fondly. "Tried kissing a boy when I was ten, it was so bad that I punched him the face". 

Alex's jaw slacked with wonder. "You wh-"

"Yeah, it was a big deal, got called into the principal's office and everything. But it's how I knew. We all have our stories". 

Alex nodded slowly, wondering what her story will be or if she'll even have a story at all. 

But then Maggie started speaking again, slower this time, stronger this time.

"And I think it's because we live in a heteronormative society where a girl is  _supposed_ to like boys and that kind of.. puts a lot of pressure on you. And so, you know, you _try_ to like boys but can't. Because you like girls instead. And I wish, I- I wish that someday we can live in a world where it's  _okay_ to kiss the people we want to kiss. Because a boy should kiss the boys he wants to kiss. And _we_ should kiss the girls we want to kiss. And we should be who we are and- I'm rambling". 

Alex allowed Maggie's words to soothe a pain she didn't know she had and she wanted to ask more, wanted to know more and -

"Back to the movies?" Maggie said suddenly, snapping her out of her reverie.

"Oh, um- yep, hit me". 

"Next up, another recurrent theme," Maggie presented as Alex tapped her fingers against the counter in a drum-roll attempt. Maggie was weirdly tempted to tease her with "nerd" but decided against it.

"Police officer and undercover agent working side by side and eventually falling in love?"

"Nope. Student and teacher".

"Of course, should've guessed that". 

"In that category, we have  _Bloomington_ and  _Loving Annabelle"._

Alex was now balancing five boxes in her hands, nodding studiously - and then she tried to shake that visual out of her head. No student-teacher romance between her and Maggie. 

"Now, I must warn you, Danvers," Maggie said with faux-seriousness. "Some of these movies are.. horrible". 

"Horrible?"

"In terms of acting and plot development," Maggie explained. "But they still hold a certain kind of charm". 

"Noted". 

"My favorite is this, though". 

She handed Alex the final DVD.

" _Carol?"_

"Impeccable performances, great cast, great story," Maggie ticked off her fingers. "Set in the 1950s, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett meet at a department store and fall in love. However-"

"No spoilers," Alex repeated.

" - it is a tearjerker, because-"

"No spoilers!" Alex warned, eyes wide and reaching towards Maggie to stop her.

" - they are made to -"

Alex pressed a hand against Maggie's mouth, effectively putting an end to the impending spoilers. 

They froze like that for a second, Alex very aware of how soft Maggie's lips were under her fingers and Maggie making no attempt to move away. She cocked an eyebrow at Alex and Alex averted her eyes and slowly removed her hand.

"No spoilers," she said breathily. 

"Curious to see how you'd shut me up next," Maggie replied and then silently cursed herself for having absolutely no filters around Alex Danvers. 

They stared at each other for a moment, and Alex found herself wondering how she  _would_ shut her up next time and Alex also found herself desperately hoping for more spoilers.

But then she shook that thought away - she had to do a lot of that today apparently - and returned her attention to the DVDs in front of her. 

"Do they have happy endings?"

Maggie obviously hadn't expected that question. "What?"

"Do these movies have happy endings?"

"I thought you said no spoilers". 

Alex shrugged silently. 

Maggie took her time answering, trying to put it nicely. "Some do. Some don't". She paused. "Most don't, I think". 

Alex nodded to herself, a trace of sadness in the way her shoulders slumped and in  the way her eyes lost a bit of their shine. She had nothing against sad endings - Kara had made her watch  _Titaniic_ over a hundred times - and she wasn't the kind of person who cried during movies. But she also wanted -  _needed_ \- these movies to give her some kind of hope. Because she was slowly coming to terms with who she was - a fact she had tried to ignore for quite a few years now.

A fact that was surfacing because of a movie Maggie gently pushed her into watching.

Surfacing because of memories that she had been trying to repress.

Surfacing because Maggie was stunning and nice and helpful even though she barely knew Alex. Because her mouth was the softest thing Alex had ever touched. 

And maybe she was... that.

"But they're just movies, you know," Maggie surprised her by saying, very gently and Alex looked up into soft careful eyes. "And love can last forever sometimes. And anyone can get the happy ending they deserve". 

Alex grinned, knees weak and heart hammering, because somehow Maggie knew exactly what she wanted to hear. "No spoilers?"

Maggie smiled back. "No one can spoil your life story, Danvers. You decide how it ends". 

And then Alex was feeling a little bit too much and she was pretty sure her cheeks were the color of her shirt - which was red, by the way - and she cleared her throat and fidgeted around with the DVDs.

"So, um, these movies-"

"You can borrow them," Maggie said simply.

"How many? I think there's a three movie limit -"

"All of them".

" _All_ of them?"

Maggie nodded with a shrug. "I work here so I get to borrow double, for free. So basically, six movies. Now let's see-". She counted the DVDs quickly. "Six. Perfect". 

"But-"

"No buts, Alex," Maggie shook her head firmly. "Just let me know what you think once you're done". 

Alex repressed her initial impulse to lean forwards and hug Maggie - because she wasn't used to kindness, especially a stranger's kindness. And she wondered whether Maggie was still a stranger at this point or maybe they were starting to become something else. Maybe they were friends. 

Maybe she could invite her to that party Kara was going to. It'll definitely be more fun with Maggie around. 

But she couldn't. 

Because it would mean something, wouldn't it? And what if Maggie said no?

She didn't think she could handle rejection at this point. 

Little did she know that Maggie was having the exact same thoughts too. 

 

~

 

"I can't believe you're dragging me to this party," Alex whined as she and Kara entered the pub.

The place was right next to the Movie Buff and was the usual hangout place of most of the student population. 

And so it was basically packed. 

"Come on, Alex, it might be fun," Kara said, hopping up and down excitedly. 

"Careful not to hover," Alex reminded her. 

"Always am". 

Kara grabbed Alex's hand and weaved her way through the throng of people, using her powers just a tad to move them out of her way. 

"Who are we meeting again?" Alex asked, hoping it's not a bunch of loud obnoxious freshers. 

"Lena, James and- uh, some another guy," Kara counted off. 

"Great". 

"They told me they were sitting next to the-"

"Kara! You made it!" 

Alex found herself relaxing a little as James Olsen and Lena Luthor got up from the couch they were lazing around on to welcome her and Kara. She had seen them around campus and they mostly kept to themselves but they were also well-liked by everyone. 

A guy she hadn't seen before got up to greet them as well but then teetered on his feet. James and Lena grabbed one of his arms each.

"Winn here is already drunk," Lena said, patting Winn on the back. "I apologize on his behalf".

"I ain't drunk," Winn slurred.

"Okay sweetie," Lena nodded patiently, pinching his cheeks. 

Winn batted her hand away sulkily. 

"You're such a lightweight," James added. "You've only had one beer". 

"And a shot," Winn protested.

"I drank that, actually," came a fourth voice and Alex's eyes widened as Maggie walked over to the group, holding an assortment of shots in her hands. 

She spoke with nonchalance but her eyes betrayed her surprise as they lingered on Alex's face. 

"Maggie!" Kara squeaked with delight. "You're here too!"

"Hey Little Danvers". 

"Wait, how do you all know each other?" Lena frowned, pointing at all three of them. 

" - got some DVDs-"

" - she came to buy some -"

Lena's face lit up with understanding and she turned towards Maggie with a crooked smile.

" _She's_ the one you said-" she backtracked as Maggie gave her a subtle jab in the ribs, " - had, um- red highlights". 

"Yes, the very one," Maggie smiled tightly.

"Red highlights?" Alex frowned. 

"Maggie was thinking about getting highlights".

"Yep". 

"Oh".

Everyone shifted awkwardly for a second but the silence was thankfully interrupted by an enthusiastic Kara. 

She plopped down on the couch - where Winn had settled - and gestured for everyone to sit down as well. 

"So what are we doing?" she asked. 

James sat down, handing every one a Kamikaze shot. 

"We were playing a game called 'What's Winn's Real Name'".

"Winn won't tell us his actual name so we've been trying to guess," Lena explained to Kara and Alex. "We drink a shot every time we get it wrong".

"Sounds like a good way to get drunk in no time," Alex noted nervously. 

"Pretty much". 

Maggie sidled closer to Alex and leaned in close to be heard over the music. "I'll drink yours if you don't want a hangover tomorrow". 

Alex swallowed at Maggie's sudden proximity and at the way her breath was tickling her ear. 

"I- I think I've got it," she said, trying very hard not to fan herself. Was it hot in here?

"Okay, I'll go first," James volunteered. "Edwinn". 

"Nope". 

James groaned and threw his drink back. 

Lena, Kara, Maggie and Alex tried next.

"It's Irwinn, isn't it?"

"Nah".

"Winnie!"

"Next".

"I'm going to go with.. Gwinn". 

"Drink up". 

Alex frowned and tapped her bottom lip with her finger. 

"Darwinn?"

"We have a winner," Winn whooped, raising his hand to high-five Alex and then missing her palm completely. 

Everyone cheered as Alex tipped her head modestly and then proceeded to down her drink.

"Alex, you won, you weren't supposed to drink that," Lena remarked with a laugh.

"Where's the fun in that?" Alex replied, earning herself another failed high-five from Winn. 

Besides, she needed liquid courage if she was going to spend the night partying with Maggie. 

Maggie who was looking at her with curious soft eyes and Alex really needed another drink right now.

Or a whole bottle of something. 

 

~

Three more shots and a swig of whiskey from James' flask and Alex had achieved maximum tipsiness. 

She was still lucid enough to know what was going on but the room was spinning pleasantly and she had a big smile on her face. 

Maggie, however, wasn't nearly as drunk as she was. Alex wondered whether Maggie was actually completely sober. 

The group was still chilling on the couch . Winn had fallen asleep with his head on James' shoulder and Kara was sandwiched between James and Lena who were showing her an apparently hilarious montage they had made - if Kara's incessant guffaws were any indication. 

Alex had given up on trying to watch that montage because her eyes weren't really being very cooperative. 

She turned instead towards Maggie, who was quietly sipping on a yellow cocktail.

"What's that you're drinking?" Alex asked with a frown and a light slur. "It looks pretty".

"Sex on the beach". 

"Whoa, I think we should get to know each other a little better first," Alex replied, leaning away from Maggie - and then beaming.

Maggie grinned slowly when she realized that Alex was only messing with her. 

"I'd like to get to know you, Danvers. Sober you, though". 

"I  _am_ sober". 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to prove it?"

"Do you have a breathometer lying around?" 

Alex scoffed. "Pfft, you're such a cop". And then promptly bit her tongue.

"Who told you?" Maggie squinted, leaning closer to Alex.

"Hmm?"

"Who told you I wanted to be a cop".

"No one told me," Alex replied with a modest wave of her hand. "You just.. look like a cop". 

"I look like a cop," Maggie repeated, trying to maintain a serious face.

Alex reached out and played with Maggie's straw. 

"I might have..."

"Yes?"

"Searched you on Facebook". 

Maggie couldn't suppress her smile any longer. "Really".

"You look nice in your picture," Alex admitted, obviously lacking any kind of filter now. "I wanted to like it but we're not Facebook friends".

"You should've added me," Maggie observed. 

Alex's eyes glinted with tipsiness and glee as she dug around in her pockets for her phone. 'I'll do it right now". 

She fumbled with her touchscreen, squinting at her phone and tapping it arbitrarily, cursing under her breath. Maggie scooted closer and leaned over her shoulder.

"You've typed 'Margie' in the search box," she pointed out. 

"Oh crap". 

"And you're on Twitter". 

"They're both so blue, I got confused". 

Maggie chuckled softly, amused at drunk Alex's antics, and handed her her drink. 

"Here, give me your phone, I'll do it. Just hold my drink for a second".

Alex held the drink dutifully as Maggie worked on her phone, grinning victoriously as Maggie added herself. She tucked Maggie's straw inside her mouth and took a sip, humming with delight.

"This is pretty good," she said - right before Maggie snatched it out of her hands. "Hey!"

"You've had enough drinks for tonight, Danvers". 

"Drink responsibly, Alex," Kara piped up, downing her seventh shot. 

"This girl is a legend," Lena said, shaking her head with amazement. "I expected you to be passed out by now". 

:Kara shrugged breezily. "Oh, you know, this is child's play for me". 

Alex rolled her eyes at her sister and then regretted it as she felt the room spin. 

"You alright?"

Maggie's hand settled down on her shoulder, and Alex's glazed eyes met Maggie's chocolate ones. 

"Never better". 

"Do you want me to take you home?"

Alex tried to muster as much indignation as she could in her state. "What? Nooo, I'm feeling awesome! Here, let's dance". 

"Um, Alex-"

"Come on, this is my jam," Alex insisted, pulling Maggie to her feet as Lena, James and Kara hooted at them from their seats. 

Alex had no actual idea what this song was but it had a nice dance-y beat to it and it would do just fine. She'll prove to Maggie that she was alright because hanging out with Maggie was really fun and she wanted Maggie to know that Alex wasn't just a nervous mess all the time. She could let down her hair too. Maggie's hair was nice. 

Maggie shifted on her feat, her hands hovering near Alex's body in case she happened to fall over. 

Alex rolled her eyes at that - another mistake - and grabbed Maggie's hands, placing them on her waist, and wrapping her own arms around Maggie's neck.

Maggie seemed flustered but Alex thought that it was probably the lighting. Maggie was an experienced woman and she's not going to be intimidated by someone who's fresh off the boat. 

The beat accelerated and Alex started moving her hips against Maggie's, her arms tightening around her neck. 

"Alex, are you sure-" Maggie said, her voice weirdly strangled. 

And Alex was sure. Because yes, she was tipsy. And yes, the room was spinning. But Alex Danvers knew that Drunk Alex was just a free-r side of Normal Alex. And Drunk Alex wouldn't do anything that Normal Alex wouldn't want to do. 

"I'm very sure," Alex breathed, managing to sound serious because she wanted Maggie to be reassured. 

Maggie nodded twice - once for Alex and the other to herself - and her fingers tightened around Alex's waist. She leaned her forehead against Alex's, moving against her, and Alex could feel their breaths mingling together. And Maggie's breath tasted sweet just like her, it tasted like sex on the beach, and like all the good things in the world. 

It would take just a tilt of her head to kiss Maggie. 

But then Maggie was spinning her around, her front against Alex's back, hands splayed across Alex's stomach and Alex felt something new and burning settle between her legs - confusing her and setting her senses on fire. 

Because Maggie's lips were near her ear, and she was singing along to whatever song this was, and Alex was getting goosebumps all over her body and she was grabbing on to Maggie's hands for dear life. 

And they had just met a few days ago, and they barely knew anything about each other, but Maggie had also managed to discover a side of her that no one else knew. Not even Kara. 

And she could maybe let go with this person. 

And she could maybe turn around, and she could kiss -

But before her muddled thoughts could form an actual plan, Lena was making her way over to them and her eyes were amused as she noted that her roommate and their new friend's older sister were basically grinding against each other, and Maggie's eyes were confused and glistening and Alex's were a whole batch of things that Lena couldn't even begin to decode. 

They stopped moving as they registered Lena's presence, Maggie's arms falling away from Alex's body. 

"We're taking Winn home," Lena said. "And also Kara, she's sleepy". 

Maggie and Alex nodded in unison.

"Alex, do you-" Lena started.

"I'll drop her home," Maggie offered. 

"Okay, I'll see you later roomie," Lena winked before skipping away. 

Alex turned towards Maggie, ready to pick it up from where they left off but then she felt her stomach rumble and she slapped her fingers against her mouth.

"I don't feel so good". 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to juggle 3 fics at the moment and your feedback is greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think, what your thoughts are on what's going to happen, what your favorite part was, anything really! :)  
> Also: A new chapter every Sunday hopefully!  
> More works: "I Just Want To Kiss You" and "Undeniable Chemistry".  
> Tumblr: stillascalmwater


	4. Shooting Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Maggie spend more time together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think!  
> A new chapter next Sunday.  
> I think there will be 7 chapters in total.  
> You can also reach me on stillascalmwater

Maggie slipped an arm around Alex's waist and helped her out of the pub, asking her for the tenth time in the last ten minutes if she was feeling alright. 

Alex nodded her head woozily, and tried not to lean too much on Maggie. She was drunk but not enough to forget that Maggie was smaller. She was however impressed by Maggie's strong grip on her and it made her feel safe.

Alex had felt like she was about to throw up but after a few dry heaves in a bathroom stall, she had deduced that barfing was not on the menu for now. Which was a small miracle in itself because Maggie had been waiting for her right outside, rapping her knuckles on the door and asking her if she needed any help, and Alex  _really_ didn't want to have vomit on her breath. 

The dirty dancing that had happened a few minutes before was confusing enough as it is, and Alex wondered what it all meant or if it even meant anything at all. Nonetheless, she didn't want to mess up whatever  _this_ was by being a disgusting mess. 

Maggie didn't seem grossed out though and - if Alex hadn't stopped her with pleading eyes - would have walked into that stall with Alex to hold her hair back. 

The crisis was averted though and Maggie silently helped Alex make her way across the street and towards the dorm building. 

"I don't want to go home," Alex hiccuped, pausing mid-step. 

"You'll feel better once you get a good night's rest," Maggie said reasonably, trying to pull Alex along. But Alex was surprisingly strong for someone in her state and didn't budge. 

"No, I-" Alex sighed, rubbing her fingertips against her forehead and closing her eyes. "I don't want.. Kara to see me like this". 

Maggie nodded slowly, sympathy flashing in her warm brown eyes. 

"Okay," she said. "How about we go for some coffee? It might help clear your head". 

Alex grinned widely because coffee sounded like the best idea in the world right now, and she nodded her approval swiftly - and then groaned as everything spun around her like a merry-go-round. 

"You good?" Maggie's arm tightened around her waist reflexively.

"Yeah, just.. need to sit down," Alex said.

She dug inside her pocket for her phone and then squinted as she tried to find her conversation with Kara. She tapped her fingers on the screen, struggling to compose a message.

 

**Alex (00:40): KKars**

**Alex (00:40): gunf beho ma lte**

**Alex (00:40) arhghhgggggggggggg**

**Kara (00:41): what's wrong???**

 

Alex typed her last sentence out of frustration, because the letters kept swimming in and out of focus. And then Maggie's soft hands were taking the phone out of her grasp, and Alex didn't know if she was dreaming or if it was just her wistful imagination, but Maggie was tucking a stray lock of hair behind Alex's ear.

She did it casually, naturally, as if she had been doing it all her life and Alex felt her face tingle from her touch. 

"What do you want to write, Danvers?" Maggie asked gently, and Alex wanted to curl herself up inside Maggie's warmth and stay there. 

"That I'm going to be a bit late. And if she's okay".

"Okay".

Maggie dutifully composed the message, pretending to be Alex so as not to worry Kara. 

**Alex (00:45): nothing, my phone was being laggy**

**Alex (00:45): Maggie and I are going for a quick coffee**

**Kara (00:46): now??**

**Alex (00:46): maggie is feeling a bit tipsy, so..**

**Kara (00:46) : ohh ok, I understand**

**Kara (00:46): want my help?**

**Alex (00:47): no, thanks!**

**Alex (00:47): are you ok though?**

**Kara (00:47): yeah, Lena is staying up with me**

**Alex (00:48): that's nice of her?**

**Kara (00:48): yeah!!**

**Kara (00:48): have fun drinking coffee**

**Kara (00:48): ;)**

**Alex (00:48): ??**

**Kara (00:48): nothing**

**Kara (00:48): you seemed happier with maggie there, im glad u made yourself a new friend**

**Kara (00:48): anyway laters**

**Alex (00:49): later**

"Are you done?" Alex asked as Maggie's hands stilled over the screen with a slight frown on her face. "She's not saying anything embarrassing is she?"

"Uh, no," Maggie replied hastily, handing the phone back to Alex. "She said she's fine and that Lena is keeping her company".

Alex thought it was a bit odd considering that Kara had only just met Lena today but she knew that Lena was a decent person and she felt comforted by the fact that Kara wasn't alone. 

She started shuffling her way towards the nearest coffee shop but then almost tripped on her own feet when she felt Maggie's hand slip inside her own. Maggie's hand was warm and soft and smooth and Alex was suddenly very aware of her pulse going wild and her knees going weak. She hoped Maggie couldn't feel it.

Her dark eyes flicked toward Maggie's, questioningly. 

Maggie tilted her head and smiled, dimples and all, but Alex could also see a hint of uncertainty in the way she didn't fully meet Alex's gaze.

"Do you mind? I just don't want you falling face first on the concrete". 

Alex swallowed and tried to keep her voice steady. "No, I- I don't mind". 

"Good". 

"You have soft hands," Alex said, because filters weren't a thing after the many drinks she had downed.

Maggie ducked her head, smiling softly, a wisp of hair falling across her cheek and Alex was sure she had never seen anything as beautiful. 

The rest of the journey was filled with a comfortable silence, and to anyone watching they looked like a lovely couple.

 

~

Alex sat at a booth while Maggie fetched their drinks and she tried not to gawk too much at how pretty Maggie looked tonight.

But she really needed to sober up before she did anything stupid.

And so when Maggie slid across the booth, handing Alex her caramel cappucino, Alex grabbed it with greedy hands and almost burned her tongue gulping it down.

"Whoa, Danvers, where's the fire?" Maggie said, tilting her head with concern. 

"In my mouth," Alex replied, tongue lolling out as she poured herself a glass of water.

Maggie laughed and Alex found herself wanting to kiss that gorgeous mouth and these thoughts were new and unexpected but they were also old and totally expected and this was why Alex needed to get a grip on herself. She didn't want to scare Maggie away - but her brain and her mouth were clearly not tightly connected at the time. 

"What'd you get?" she asked instead, because that was a safe question.

"Black coffee". 

"No sugar, no milk?"

"No sugar, no milk."

Alex's eyebrows ticked up and she gave a small impressed whistle. "That's hardcore, Sawyer". 

"It's an.. acquired taste," Maggie shrugged, taking a sip of her drink and humming contentedly.

The hum did something to Alex's sanity and she tried not to think about Maggie making that sound somewhere else. 

"I don't think I could ever like black coffee," Alex confessed. "I don't know how you do it". 

"I don't know how you drink  _that_. You can barely taste the coffee with all that sweetness". 

Alex put on an affronted face. "The sugar  _enha-enhances_ the taste". She hoped Maggie didn't realize how she kind of stumbled on the word "enhance" because her tipsy mind decided that it was too hard to pronounce.

"Not convinced," Maggie shrugged playfully. "Here, try mine". 

She handed Alex her cup and then dragged Alex's drink towards herself before Alex could protest. 

Alex hesitated, and then lifted the cup, clinking it against Maggie's and taking a tentative sip. Her lips settled exactly where Maggie's mouth had been and she tried to convince herself that she hadn't sought out that exact spot on purpose. She didn't know if it was her imagination or reality, but she could almost feel the imprint of Maggie's lips on the rim.

But then she crinkled her nose and forced the drink down, almost gagging at how bitter it was. 

Looking up, she realized that Maggie had the exact same expression on her face. 

They caught each other's eye and burst out laughing, shaking their heads and switching the hot drinks back. 

"Nope," Maggie grinned, nose still adorably scrunched at the sweetness of Alex's cappucino . "Not my thing". 

Alex grinned back and opened her mouth to agree and to declare that black coffee tasted like munching on coffee beans. 

"Hey, we've had our first kiss now," she said instead.

And then she wanted to jump off a bridge because that was  _not_ what she had wanted to say. That thought was supposed to have stayed in the safe recesses of her mind but her drunk brain had apparently decided that it was much more fun to blurt it out. 

She slapped her hand against her mouth, even though it was too late for that now. 

Maggie seemed surprised at first, eyes wide and unblinking, but then her posture relaxed and she tilted her head reassuringly. 

"Doesn't count," she said simply.

Alex was tempted to ask her what she meant by that- especially given that Maggie's eyes were twinkling with a thousand lights-  but then Alex was distracted by something else. 

"You've got, uh-" Alex gestured toward her own mouth. "- a bit of foam". 

Maggie rolled her eyes at herself and dabbed at the corners of her mouth. 

"Gone?"

"No, still there, it's- hold on". 

Alex leaned across the table, eyes serious, and swiped her thumb across Maggie's upper lip. She managed to get all the foam on her first try and grinned victoriously, forcing her mind not to linger on how incredibly velvety and plush Maggie's lips were and at how she had gasped softly when Alex touched her. 

She licked the foam off her finger and froze as she realized what she had just done. 

Maggie looked like she didn't know what to do with herself and it was the first time that Alex had seen her look so flustered. 

"Yum," Alex said weakly, and then backtracked. "The foam, I mean- not the- not-"

"Yeah, of course," Maggie cut her off awkwardly. "And, um, thanks for the-" she gestured at her mouth by means of explanation.

"Oh sure, yeah". 

They both ducked their heads, cheeks flushing with embarrassment, staring into the contents of their cups as if they held the secrets of the universe. 

Alex was the first to break the silence. 

"Kara is obsessed with this new drink," she blurted out with exaggerated perkiness. "The pink one, what's it called-"

Her plan worked as Maggie lifted her head, looking horrified. "The unicorn frappucino?"

"Yes, that one".

"Ughh," Maggie shuddered. "Oh no, Little Danvers". 

"Her tongue has been bright pink for three days now". 

Maggie snorted at that and Alex felt a little flutter in her heart. She always felt like she'd achieved something amazing - like climbing Mount Everest- whenever she made Maggie smile. Whenever she got to see those beautiful dimples make an appearance. 

She shook her head to get her bearings and downed the rest of the coffee in one long gulp, licking her lips slowly and methodically  after she was done. 

Glancing towards Maggie, Alex realized that she was already looking at her with her mouth agape. She promptly closed it after catching Alex's eye and cleared her throat.

"Do you want to go home now?"

"Do you?" Alex asked back, feeling slightly insecure at the thought of Maggie not wanting to spend any more time with her.

Maggie bit her bottom lip pensively, as if she was debating something in her mind, and then shook her head slowly. 

"Good," Alex said softly. "Because I know just where we can go". 

 

~

Maggie drove her truck, following Alex's directions, and tried to guess where they were going. But she didn't really know much about National City and Alex had been there for much longer than she had. 

But Maggie wished they'd get there soon because it was really hard not to be able to look at Alex. She had to keep her eyes on the road, because it was dark and she had had a few drinks - although her tolerance was much higher than Alex's - and Alex was in her truck and it was her responsibility to keep her safe. Even though she was dying to stare at her curled up in the passenger seat, chin tucked against the strap of the seat-belt, eyes dark and sparkling. 

This night was taking a turn that Maggie had not expected.

She had expected it to be a night out with her new friends - and friends was still a stretch maybe - but she was now going  _somewhere_ with a beautiful woman she had met a few days ago but with whom she felt an incredible connection. 

Alex was gorgeous, yes - and Maggie's entire body reacted to her every touch. Like that incident at the coffee shop. Or when she had taken her hand while they were walking there, trying to seem nonchalant even though her heart was running like a racehorse. But it wasn't just physical. 

Something spoke to her on an emotional level, something clicked. It was easy to talk to Alex, to be around her. She was interested in her life, wanted to know more, wanted to dig deeper. And the more she dug, the more she found, and she wondered if she'd have the opportunity to get to know Alex Danvers better.

"We're here," Alex piped up after fifteen minutes. "You can stop here".

Maggie killed the engine and stilled with her hands on the wheel. 

It was a stretch of land, surrounded by trees and moss - and it seemed completely abandoned even though it was only a few minutes away from civilization. 

She followed Alex, who hopped out of the car with a clumsiness that almost had her sprawling across the grass, and let out a soft gasp as she allowed herself to really look around. 

The field was covered with all kinds of flowers and even though it was too dark to see them properly, Maggie could smell them. She inhaled a few times, deeply, and was reminded of her childhood back at the farm. And then Alex was telling her to look up, and she was tipping her head back to look at a vast expanse of sky and stars that left her dazed. 

"Wow," she breathed, her face still lifted up to the sky, as if it would be too painful to look away.

But then she glanced at Alex and felt like the stars had something to compete with.

Alex was leaning against Maggie's truck, arms crossed loosely, head tilted to the side, with a small satisfied on her face. Maggie had to quell her initial reaction of pressing Alex against the door and kissing her until they both forgot their names. 

"Like it?" Alex asked. 

Maggie started to nod and then noticed the way Alex was rubbing her hands up and down her arms, a slight tremble in her shoulders. She walked over to her and placed her hands on Alex's arms without stopping to think twice about it. 

"You're cold," Maggie observed. 

"It's okay, I-"

But Maggie was already crawling inside the truck, digging around in the back until she found the extra jacket she usually carried around, as well as a warm blanket. She had all the basic necessities she could use stored there - she had to, she had had to sleep in the backseat of her truck more times than she could count after having been kicked out of the house. 

She handed Alex her favorite leather jacket and had to remember not to stare as Alex slipped it on. They were about the same size and it brought out the darkness of Alex's features and made her look hard around the edges, like a bad-ass agent. 

"It, um- looks good on you," Maggie confessed, trying to sound casual. 

Alex beamed, pulling the jacket tighter against herself. "I like it". 

Maggie smiled back and that moment felt like an eternity, both of them looking into each other's eyes with no intent to look away. 

But then Maggie broke the silence. 

"So, why are we here?"

"To watch the stars, of course" Alex replied, evidently surprised that Maggie hadn't figured it out on her own. 

She grabbed the blanket Maggie was holding and unfolded it neatly inside the truck's tailgate. She climbed in and gestured for Maggie to do the same.

They settled themselves on the blanket, shifting until they got comfortable, their legs and shoulders pressed against each other. Maggie tried not to dwell on how close she suddenly was to Alex, with no gear stick in the middle to separate them. She tried not to dwell on how close they had been back at the club, dancing together, and how they still hadn't mentioned it yet. 

She tried to concentrate instead on counting how many stars she could spot and was pleasantly surprised when she heard Alex counting to herself as well. 

"How many?" Maggie asked.

Alex gave a heavy sigh and slapped Maggie gently on the knee. "You've interrupted my process, now I've lost count". 

Maggie laughed softly and Alex grinned back, and Maggie found herself wanting to count how many stars were in Alex's eyes and how they seemed to shine brighter whenever she was happy or whenever she was staring at her like she was right now. Which prompted her next question : 

"Um, Kara said something when I was texting her-"

Alex was suddenly alert - or as alert as she could be with her tipsiness. "What? I'm going to-"

"It wasn't anything bad," Maggie hastily reassured her, fearing for Kara's life. "She just commented on how you.. seemed happier with me around - I mean, she's glad that the two of us are friends now?"

She vocalized it in the form of a question because she still wasn't sure whether they could be considered as friends yet. But Alex nodded, as if it all made perfect sense.

"Yeah, she, um- worries about me. I'm glad we're friends too". 

She doesn't comment on the whole "happier with me around" thing and Maggie doesn't want to push it. 

"So we're friends?" she asked instead, the ghost of a smile on her lips. 

"Of course. I don't think friendship is in the amount of time you spend with a person," Alex explained slowly. "I think what matters is the -"

"Connection," Maggie supplied, just as Alex said it too. 

"Yeah".

They shared a smile and then turned back towards the sky. 

"Why does Kara worry about you," Maggie said after a few minutes. 

Alex gave a small humorless laugh. "She knows I have the tendency to.. get into trouble". 

"You?"

"I'm quite the troublemaker," Alex joked, tilting her eyebrows and shifting back to meet Maggie's eyes again. 

"No offense Danvers, but I can't see it".

"What if I told you that back in school, I was suspended for a whole week because I beat up five students?"

Maggie's mouth popped open and Alex playfully tilted Maggie's chin up to close it - and Maggie's skin tingled at the contact. 

"You beat up five kids?"

"They were making fun of Kara, they were calling her names-"

"What?" Maggie cried out. "Who could do that to Little Danvers?"

"Kara was always a bit different but to me, it just meant that she was even more special," Alex smiled fondly. "She has such a pure heart". 

"Just like her sister," Maggie found herself saying and Alex graced her with a smile so tender that Maggie was glad they were sitting down because she was sure her knees would have buckled. 

"Kara's too... nice to stand up for herself, I had to take matters into my own hands," Alex continued. "I got suspended but no one bothered her after that. It was worth it". 

Maggie nodded along, thinking that she'd do the same. She would jump in the line of fire to protect the people she cared about - even if those people wouldn't have done the same for her. 

Alex snapped out of her thoughts, her tone more cheerful now as she zipped up Maggie's jacket. 

"Do you keep an extra batch of clothes in your truck then, Sawyer? Is that how you woo the ladies?"

Maggie tilted her head, a confused smile on her lips. "Woo the ladies?"

"Is there a bottle of wine back there somewhere?"

" _No_ ," Maggie giggled. "And even if there was, you really can't be drinking anymore". 

"I'm feeling fine," Alex shrugged. 

Maggie did feel like Alex was slowly sobering up - maybe it was the combination of coffee and fresh air but Alex's eyes were slightly clearer now and more focused. And that made her feel better because she didn't want Alex to regret anything in the morning. Which speaking of..

"That dance-"

"Why do you-"

They both stopped mid-sentence, laughing awkwardly and gesturing for each other to proceed. 

"Go on-"

"No, no, it can wait-"

"No, you were saying something". 

Alex rolled her eyes at herself. "It's not that important, I was just asking  _why_ you had a blanket and a jacket and a whole bunch of other things by the looks of it in your truck".

Maggie cleared her throat nervously and debated whether she should tell Alex the story or not. It was a bit heavy for so late in the night and she didn't know how Alex would take it or how she even wanted Alex to take it. She didn't want pity, she didn't want advice. But Alex was waiting, her eyes serious now as she realized that her question didn't apparently have a simple answer. 

"You don't have to -"

"It's my dad," Maggie said in a sigh. She took a moment to get her bearings, eyes downcast. "He... kicked me out". 

She expected Alex to say something but Alex only nodded at her with soft eyes. 

"It was.. the worst day of my life. He found out that I- that I'm-" She sighed harshly. "He caught me kissing a girl I was dating at the time in my truck. He told me to pack my bags right away. Told me no daughter of his was a-" She couldn't say the word and decided she didn't have to because Alex winced and she knew that she understood. "And so i did. I traveled around, slept at some friends' houses, was never in one place for long. The girl he caught me with, she.. didn't even call to ask if I was okay. She just decided I wasn't worth the trouble". 

She noticed that Alex's hands were enveloping hers now, wordlessly and with no explanation, and Maggie let her. Because no one had ever been there for her with such patience, with no interruptions, no judgement. Alex was just listening, her brow furrowed with compassion. 

"And so I learned to keep the essentials in my truck," she continued, in an effort to keep her tone lighter now. "Because sometimes I didn't have a place to crash and the only bed I had was this one. And on long cold nights, a blanket and an extra jacket would make all the difference". 

She trailed off, looking down at their intertwined hands, at Alex's thumb rubbing her wrist rhythmically. She wanted to kiss those hardened knuckles - hardened by having to beat up people often to keep her family safe, hardened by things that Maggie didn't even know about yet. Because Alex was still a mystery to her. 

She noticed that Alex's eyes were shinier than usual and was floored when she realized that it was because she was blinking back tears.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," she breathed.

"Hey, don't- don't cry," Maggie murmured gently, her fingers brushing Alex's soft cheeks, wiping her tears away. 

Alex gave a small embarrassed laugh and dabbed at the corner of her eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't want to make it about me, this is your story-"

"You're human, it's okay to.. feel". 

Alex nodded at that, sniffling. "I don't usually cry". 

"I figured". 

"It's just.. " Alex looked up at her, and it was with something close to wonder now. "You're just an amazing person and.. you don't deserve all of this. You deserve to be accepted and lo- loved for everything that you are". 

Maggie's automatic reaction was to correct her. "You barely know me". 

"I know enough. You're out here with me,in the middle of nowhere, because I was tipsy and because I asked you to stay. You had no obligations towards me but you stayed anyway because .. you're a good person. You switched those DVDs around because you're a good person. You're a good friend. And you deserve all the good things in the world". 

"You're still a bit drunk-" Maggie hazarded, because Alex's voice was honest and rang true and was making her feel all kinds of things she didn't know she could still feel.

"Maybe, but I've never been as truthful as right now".  Alex took a deep breath. "My mother has never kicked me out but sometimes I think she wanted to. Ever since my dad left, she always expected me to step up. Especially when Kara came into our lives when I was fifteen-"

"She's-"

"Adopted, yes. It was my job to take care of her, to protect her. And I did. Because even though we weren't related by blood, we were related by something stronger". Alex smiled fondly. "Love. I knew I would take a bullet for Kara and she'd do the same for me. But it wasn't enough for my mother, she always wanted more, always asked for more, especially when Kara was the better daughter. She was simple, smart, well-mannered while I was rebelling and spoke back". 

"Alex, I'm sorry-"

"That's not why I'm telling you this. Kara stood by me and she listened. She'd always take my side, even when I was clearly wrong sometimes. She covered for me, she talked me out of things that would have probably gotten me hurt. She was the person I turned to. And- that's important. Having someone there for you is important. And.. you didn't have that someone and I can't begin to imagine how hard that was for you. What I mean to say-" Alex pulled on Maggie's hands, placing them on her own lap. "I can be this person for you. And I know that we haven't really known each other for a long time but I want you to know that you can talk to me. And I'll.. I'll always listen to you, Maggie". 

Maggie nodded, because she didn't trust herself to speak right now, squeezing Alex's hands, and deciding to accept this gift Alex was giving her. The gift of acceptance, the gift of recognition, of kindness, of friendship.

"Thank you," she whispered softly and Alex's smile was as bright as the stars. 

 

~

They stayed like this for the better part of an hour, telling each other stories about their lives, one subject leading to the next. They spoke about their mutual love for music, comparing musical tastes, playing their favorite songs on their phones. 

They gazed at the stars, while Alex regaled Maggie about random space information, explaining to Maggie that she and Kara always used to sit on the roof to stargaze when they'd had a bad day. And Maggie listened because she'd never really thought about the empty vastness up above but she was now starting to learn about how fascinatingly  _full_ it was. And when Maggie pointed at something in the distance, going "a shooting star!", Alex had laughed and told her it was just a plane. 

And then Alex remembered something.

"You were going to say something -"

"When?"

"Earlier, when I asked about the blanket and the jacket. You were about to say something".

Maggie ducked her head. "It's not important". 

"Come on, this'll bug me forever," Alex pleaded, tipping her head down to catch Maggie's eyes.

Maggie sighed and chewed on her bottom lip. "It's about the club".

"Mhm?"

"The way we danced".

"Oh".

Maggie sensed that Alex was now wishing she hadn't brought it up and Maggie frankly didn't know what to say about it either. It was the elephant in the room, even though the two of them had tried to pretend like it hadn't happened and that it meant nothing. But every time Maggie let her mind wander back - thinking of Alex moving her hips against hers, of her own hands holding Alex close to her - she felt like it definitely meant something. 

Because the way they were moving was not how friends danced together. 

That pull she felt in her stomach when Alex was pushing herself against her, was not how friends felt for each other. 

She knew Alex wasn't completely sober then but Alex had also insisted that she wanted this and it had left Maggie confused as to what had truly happened. 

"Do you regret it?" Alex asked suddenly.

"Do I- Alex, no, I should be the one asking that-"

"Why?"

"Because you're the one who had too many drinks and I'm worried you'll wake up regretting it".

Alex nodded slowly, pondering this. "I don't regret it," she said simply.

"I don't regret it either". 

"Good".

It was all they were willing to say about this at the moment but the unnamed tension that had been floating around had dissipated and Maggie found herself relaxing. 

"Let's play a game," Alex said out of the blue. 

"A game?"

"I'm going to ask you a series of simple questions and you're going to answer really fast". 

"Okay," Maggie said slowly. "What's the purpose of this game?"

"Getting to know each other?"

"Alright, let's play".

Alex shifted around and faced Maggie, her legs crossed together. She rested her hands under her chin and stared Maggie right in the eye. There was a playful glint in there - one that reminded Maggie that Alex was still a bit inebriated. 

"Ready?" 

"Mhm". 

"Okay. Vanilla or chocolate?"

"Um-"

"No thinking".

"Chocolate".

"Dogs or cats?"

"Dogs".

"Beach or mountain?"

"Beach".

"Rock or pop?"

"Pop".

"Pancakes or waffles?"

"Pancakes".

"Day or night?"

"Night".

Maggie didn't know whether Alex had already prepared these questions but she was clearly on a roll and Maggie wasn't even  allowed a second to think them through. 

"Libraries or museums?"

"Libraries". 

"Book or movie?"

"Movie".

"Should've known that. Coca-Cola or Pepsi?"

"Pepsi".

"Comedy or horror?"

"Horror".

"Hamburgers or hotdogs?"

"Hamburgers".

"Singing or dancing?"

"Dancing". 

Maggie felt that she was in some kind of hypnotic trance as she answered Alex's rapid-fire questions.

"Lions or bears?"

"Bears".

"Circles or squares?"

"Circles".

"Sweet or salty?"

"Salty".

"Freedom or hope?"

"Freedom".

"Do you like me?"

"Yes".

Maggie stilled as she realized what she had just said. 

Alex froze too, looking confused with herself and Maggie wondered if she had been meaning to ask her that question all along or if it had just happened spontaneously. 

"Maggie, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay".

"It just happened, I blurted it out, I wasn't thinking-"

"I thought I was the one who wasn't supposed to be thinking," Maggie couldn't help but comment. 

She didn't know if she was upset by this or not but she blamed it on the alcohol in Alex's system instead of Alex herself. She didn't know if she felt relieved - because she did like Alex and maybe it was better that it was now out in the open.

But then Alex was shifting closer, encouraged by Maggie's calm clear eyes, and she was resting her hands on Maggie's knees and her face was suddenly really close to hers. 

"So you're saying you like me?"

"Alex, I-"

"Because that's what I got". 

Maggie felt light-headed as she felt the sweetness of Alex's breath against her face and the smell of her perfume tickle her nose. Alex was staring at her expectantly and Maggie knew she couldn't lie. 

"I like you, Alex". 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah". 

Alex's smile was crooked and stunning and Maggie might not have seen any shooting stars in the sky tonight but she was definitely sure she could see them bursting in Alex's eyes. 

And then Alex was leaning in very slowly, and one of her hands was slipping inside Maggie's hair, and her eyes were fluttering shut. And Maggie could feel her own heartbeat pick up, could feel her entire body react at Alex touching her, at the anticipation of Alex's lips on hers. 

Alex was hesitating, her lips parted, and Maggie knew that she was waiting for her to meet her halfway. And so Maggie grabbed Alex's elbow and pulled her even closer, feeling Alex's breath hitch and her fingers tighten in her hair. 

Maggie tilted her face sideways and covered the distance left between them, hoping she remembered how kissing worked because this felt like the first time. 

But right before their lips touched, Maggie smelled the light trace of alcohol that was still on Alex's breath and that made her pull back, her eyes squeezed shut - because if she looked at Alex, she was sure that her resolve would falter. 

"What's wrong?" Alex asked and Maggie's heart broke at the insecurity in those two simple words.

She opened her eyes to see that Alex had scooted back, her arms crossed against her chest, and her eyes guarded and hurt. 

"You said you liked me," she added in a whisper. "I didn't-"

"Alex, I  _do_ like you," Maggie said emphatically, hating herself for once at having to do the right thing. 

"Then wh-"

"The first time we kiss, I want you to be perfectly sober," Maggie said gently, a small smile on her lips. "I want you to ... remember exactly how it felt". 

"I'm not-"

"Alex, would you have asked me if I liked you tonight if you were sober?"

Alex paused mid-sentence and then shook her head sheepishly. 

"That's what I thought," Maggie grinned.

And she tried to ignore the warmth between her legs at having been so close to kissing Alex. Because God, she really wanted to. But she wanted to wait, because this was also very new to Alex and maybe it was just the booze talking or the magic of the night and she hadn't exactly said that she liked Maggie back. 

She didn't want Alex to regret it in the morning. She didn't want Alex to run away. 

She wanted her to be sure. 

 

~

Alex leaned against the door, sleep in her eyes and a tired smile on her lips. 

"This was fun," she said simply, even though the tone of her voice implied a thousand different things.

Maggie nodded because yes, despite everything, it had been fun.

Alex fumbled inside her pockets for her keys and finally dug them out. 

"Well, good night," she said.

"Good night, Danvers". 

Maggie took a step back but Alex grabbed her by her sleeve and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her neck and hugging her tight. She felt Maggie freeze for a second before hugging her back, her hands on Alex's waist. 

Maggie was so tiny but so nice to hug, and Alex tried not to be too obvious as she inhaled the smell of the hair and the lingering scent of the perfume on her neck. 

"Thanks for tonight," she breathed. 

Maggie rubbed her back soothingly. "No problem".

Alex pulled back slightly, her hands still around Maggie's neck and she was confused - because Maggie was looking up at her with warm brown eyes and with a small dimpled smile- and she wanted to kiss her but she also knew that maybe it wasn't the best decision for right now.

Instead, she leaned in slowly - because she didn't want Maggie to get the wrong idea - and placed a careful kiss on the corner of Maggie's mouth. It was so close that she was almost able to feel the softness of Maggie's lips. But maybe that was for another day. 

She grinned at Maggie and turned to unlock her door, slipping inside her room after a final wave.

Maggie stayed rooted to the spot for a few long minutes, her fingers touching the side of her mouth. 

 


	5. My Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Next week will be the final chapter in this installment.  
> I hope you all enjoy Chapter 5 - please leave your comments and feedback. Let me know if you've liked it!  
> You can also say hi to me on stillascalmwater

Alex hadn't spoken to Maggie since Friday night. 

She had woken up the next day, nursing a hangover, and realized how she had made a complete fool out of herself.

To think that Maggie would ever think of her that way. That Maggie would ever want to kiss her. 

She knew she had embarrassed herself by almost throwing herself at Maggie and had concluded that Maggie had tried to let her down easy. Pretending that she didn't want to kiss Alex because Alex was drunk instead of telling her the actual truth: that she just wasn't interested. 

Kara, however, was fishing for details. 

"So.. you've been awfully cryptic lately," she said on Monday morning, as they prepared themselves to go attend their first class of the year. 

"Cryptic?" Alex frowned, looking around for her favourite jacket. "About what?"

"That night out with Maggie," Kara replied suggestively. 

"Kara, for the last time-"

"I know, I know," Kara said, lifting her hands up in an appeasing gesture. "You two are just friends and nothing happened". 

"Right, so why are you still asking?"

Kara shrugged, gathering her hair up in her usual messy ponytail. 

"I don't know. I just feel like there's something you're not telling me". She paused and then tilted her head to meet her sister's eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Alex softened at Kara's concern - she knew that even though her sister could sometimes be a pain in the ass, she was also always there for her and always ready to listen. They had never kept secrets from each other and Kara had been the person she went to when things got too hard for her to handle on her own.

But she didn't know how to put her feelings into words. Didn't know how to admit that she had feelings for a woman. 

Even though Kara clearly had more than an inkling concerning that particular subject.

She decided to test the waters instead.

"Kara," she started after taking a deep steadying breath. 

"Mhm?" Kara responded instantly, blue eyes clear and eager to please.

"If I- I mean, if I told you that I.. was feeling things- things that I've never felt before for.. someone-". She sighed and intertwined her fingers together to keep them from moving around aimlessly. "A girl, hypothetically".

"Right, Maggie," Kara said in an obvious tone. 

"No, just a girl. Hypothetically". 

"Right, like what happened with Vicky". 

"A girl,  _hypothetically,_ " Alex repeated through gritted teeth and Kara gave her a solemn nod, playing along. "What would you do?"

Kara stopped nodding and her eyebrows pulled together in a puzzled frown.

"What would  _I_ do? What do you mean?"

"Like how would you react," Alex explained, feeling nervous. 

Kara still seemed confused though and she looked around the room as if waiting for someone to provide further explanations. When she turned back to face her sister, Alex was taken aback by the wise glint in her eyes and by how she suddenly looked like a proper adult and not just her baby sister. 

"Are you asking if I'd approve? If I'd still love you?"

Alex flinched at how Kara had managed to easily piece things together and formulate what Alex couldn't bring herself to say. 

"Well, I-"

Kara grabbed her hands and squeezed - and normally, Alex would have groaned in pain at Kara's bone-crushing grasp but she was too busy listening to the heartfelt words pouring out of her sister's mouth. Too busy looking back into loving and accepting eyes. 

"Alex, I love you," Kara said with no hint of teasing or playfulness in her gaze. "It doesn't matter who you like. What matters is that they make you happy. Whether it's a boy or a girl or whatever". She paused. "Anything legal, I mean," she added as an afterthought. 

Alex gave a light chuckle at Kara's familiar thought process. 

"But seriously," Kara continued eagerly. "You don't have to- I don't know, come out to me if you're not sure yet. But just know that whatever happens, you're still my sister and I still love you. It doesn't change anything at all". 

Alex's heart swelled because Kara was saying all the right things and it was a bit easier to breathe now. 

"Really?"

"Yes," Kara grinned, letting go of Alex's hands before she left a bruise. 

Alex smiled back, flexing her fingers and going back to searching for her jacket. Instead of finding it though, she spotted the jacket Maggie had given her when she had been cold that night. Alex had forgotten to give it back. 

A valid excuse to talk to Maggie again. 

She grabbed her jacket and the keys to the room, slinging her bag over her shoulder and motioning for Kara to hurry up. Don't want to be late on their first day. 

"Hey, you didn't tell me what happened during  _your_ night," Alex suddenly remembered, locking the door behind her.

Kara stilled. "What do you mean?"

"Lena stayed up with you?" Alex reminded her. "I didn't know you two were that close already".

"Um, we're- we're not," Kara hastily rectified and Alex wondered why Kara's entire face was blushing. "She was just being nice". 

"Mm, nice," Alex repeated noncommittally. 

"Yes, nice," Kara said firmly.

And Alex found herself thinking that maybe she wasn't the only one experiencing something life-changing. 

 

~

Alex was usually engrossed by Professor J'onn's astronomy lectures but she couldn't get into it today. She knew she was his favourite student - the way he'd discuss things with her after class and actually listen to her opinions and take them into consideration was something that he didn't do with the others. 

With time, Alex had come to see him more as a father figure - not that she'd ever admit that to him - especially considering that her own father wasn't around. 

J'onn approached her when the lecture was over and she knew he had noticed how distracted she had been.

"It's good to see you, Miss Danvers," he said warmly.

"It's good to see you too professor," Alex replied honestly, because it was nice to see a familiar face.

"Lecture not up to-par with your expectations?" he asked, smiling to let her know that he wasn't upset.

Alex grinned sheepishly and busied herself with packing her papers and pens inside her bag. 

"Your lectures always exceed my expectations. It's just-"

"Personal matters?" he guessed.

Alex nodded and left it at that. She had been replaying Friday night with Maggie for the better part of an hour and trying to determine whether Maggie really liked her or not. Whether she had spent time with her because Alex was drunk and she had felt sorry for her - or because she actually did like her and wanted to get to know her.

So far, Alex had no clear answer and that made it very hard to focus on anything else. 

Professor J'onn seemed to read her mind as he stared at her compassionately - and for a second Alex was tempted to ask for his advice. Maybe he'd give her one of his wise speeches and everything would suddenly make sense.

But of course, she couldn't do that. It was one thing discussing space with him at length, but it was pretty inappropriate to discuss her love life. 

Instead, she wished him a good day and headed to her second class.

Last year, she had picked Spanish and Business Management as electives but she had realized that managing  _anything_ wasn't really her strong suit and also, learning a new language was pretty hard. She could barely string a sentence together and only knew how to say "por favor, un poquito más despacio" by the end of last year - which basically meant "could you speak slower, please?"

This year, she had chosen self-defense as an elective. And even though Alex wasn't very big on physical contact - having people she didn't know touching her, even in a learning setting, made her feel uncomfortable- she also knew that she might find Maggie Sawyer there. 

Maggie wanted to be a cop and so it was only logical that she'd pick a self-defense class. Which was what prompted Alex to switch her Arts elective with this instead. 

And, lo and behold, she was not wrong.

Because standing in the middle of the gymnasium - with protective mats on the floor to cushion their falls - was Maggie Sawyer. She was stretching, lifting her arms above her head and Alex swallowed when the movement raised Maggie's black tank top higher, exposing her stomach.

Her taut tan stomach with skin that looked so smooth that Alex wanted to touch it just to make sure. 

And Alex worried for a second that she might be drooling and was more and more certain about her attraction to girls. 

One girl in particular. 

She had felt a similar attraction to Vicky but it was also different. Because she had liked Vicky - she knew that now - but it had never felt this intense. This powerful. Staring at Vicky didn't feel like every part of her was on fire, like she needed to get closer or else she'd combust.

But she felt that for Maggie. And it was becoming clearer day after day.

And then Maggie was bending down to touch her toes and she turned her head sideways and finally glimpsed Alex. She saw different emotions play out across Maggie's face; some she was able to name and some not.

Surprise. Confusion. Something else. Something that looked like hopefulness. Maybe the ghost of a smile.

"Danvers," she said finally, straightening up and tightening her ponytail.

"Hey," Alex replied, taking a small step towards her.

She knew that she had been staring at her like a creeper but she hoped that Maggie wouldn't dwell on that. 

"I didn't know you chose this elective," Maggie said, tilting her head to look at Alex curiously. 

She didn't seem annoyed with the fact but she also didn't seem very pleased either. The open friendliness that Alex had been used to during the past week was absent and Alex wondered what this was all about. Was it because she had tried to kiss her? Was she trying to establish some kind of distance now? 

"Yeah, I, uh- I thought it'd be fun," Alex said nervously.

Maggie nodded, lips pursed. 

"Cool," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. 

Alex felt like there was more that she wanted to say but then Professor Vasquez was asking for a volunteer and she forced herself to pay attention.

 

~

Kara listened as Professor Cat Grant started introducing journalism and what it meant to be a good reporter. 

She was completely fascinated by the way Mrs. Grant explained things, by the raw confidence she exuded and the strength and conviction in her words. Kara found herself aspiring to become like that one day - someone people respected.

She took some notes, adjusting her glasses, and nodded at the things her professor was saying.

"Being a journalist takes fine-tuning," Cat expounded. "You need to describe things like a novelist would. You need to be a good story-teller. Because you want your public to be hooked, don't you? You don't want them to just skim your article and move on to something else. You want to immerse them in whatever it is you've written. But you should also balance the art of story-telling with the facts. You're not writing a work of fiction, even if it is tempting sometimes to exaggerate. And you should stick to those facts because when you present the truth to your readers, then you are gaining their trust". 

Kara underlined the word "truth" on her notebook and then startled when she heard a familiar chuckle.

Lena Luthor was dropping in a seat next to her, casually swiping one of Kara's many bluepoint pens. 

"Wow, you've come prepared," she teased.

Kara opened her mouth to answer but Cat Grant beat her to it. 

"Luna, so glad you could join us," she called out dryly - but Lena waved at her sweetly and Kara could see the ghost of a smile on Cat's lips. 

Mrs.Grant went back to her explanations and Lena turned towards Kara, dropping her voice so that Kara had to lean in to listen. 

"I annoy her but I know she's secretly fond of me," she confessed with a pleased smirk.

Kara frowned, trying not to dwell on the fact that Lena's perfume was making it quite hard to concentrate on anything. "I thought you'd already taken this class".

Lena shrugged. "Had a free hour this morning, thought I'd drop by. I like Mrs.Grant's lessons". 

Kara didn't ask for further explanations and she flashed Lena a small smile before turning her attention to the lecture once again. Except this time, it was kind of hard to do so because she was very aware of Lena's presence next to her. 

Lena was doodling on a sheet of paper and Kara was convinced that she wasn't listening - except that Lena would sometimes interject when Mrs.Grant asked a question which made Kara realize that maybe she was paying attention after all. 

"Hey, you okay?" Lena asked after a few minutes, nudging Kara gently with her elbow. 

"Yes, why?" Kara whispered back.

"You know, after that thing you told me -"

"I told I didn't want to talk about it anymore," Kara hissed back urgently. "I told you to forget about it". 

Lena raised her hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "Hey, I'm not-"

"I shouldn't have told you, I don't know what came over me," Kara sighed. "You-"

"Maybe Luna and her little friend can let us in on their little discussion," Cat interrupted, her voice resounding strongly in the auditorium. "Seems to me like it's much more interesting than what I have to teach today". 

Lena gave a small smile and resumed her doodling while Kara adjusted her glasses nervously.

"Um, I'm sorry Mrs Gra-"

"What's your name?" 

"Uh, Kara. Kara Danvers".

"Right, Kiera," Cat continued with a bored tone. "I'm not teaching a kindergarten class and I don't want to have to make you and Miss Luthor change seats. If you have pressing matters to discuss, then you can do it outside". 

Kara nodded, trying to ignore Lena's subtle snort.

"Understood, I'm- I'm sorry," Kara fumbled with her words.

Cat Grant rolled her eyes and proceeded with the rest of her introduction. 

Lena opened her mouth to talk - but then decided against it when she caught Kara's embarrassed face - and decided to write Kara a note instead. 

 _Your secret's safe with me_ , Kara read.

Lena's handwriting was loopy and original, just like Lena herself. 

She chewed on her pen for a few seconds before scrawling back " _ok. sorry for freaking out"_ and pushing the paper back towards Lena. 

Lena's eyes flitted across the paper before flicking back to meet Kara's blue gaze. She gave her a shrug that seemed to say "don't worry about it" and Kara felt herself relax. 

 _Thoughts on your first lecture?_  

Another message from Lena. 

_Very interesting. She's really intimidating though._

_Cat? She's a softie deep down, trust me._

"Mr.Shoot, if you keep clicking your pen like that, I will personally have your hands taped together," Cat groaned at Winn.

Kara and Lena stifled their laughter.

 _Deep deep deep down,_ Lena corrected.

_She called you Luna._

_That's her version of endearment. If Cat Grant gets your name wrong, then she's noticed you._

_She called me Kiera._

_See? You're doing great already._

Kara gave Lena a grateful smile before folding the paper in half and sticking it inside her notebook. 

Mrs.Grant was giving them instructions regarding a small writing exercise that they were due to start right away. Lena seemed familiar with it as she tipped her chair back, giving a small hum of recognition. 

"You're going to write a small paragraph," Cat declared. "About anything you like. Feel free to get inventive. It's not going to get published," she added with a small laugh and a few students tittered at that. "I want you to try and reel me in with your title. With your subject. With your words. You got twenty minutes". 

Kara frowned in concentration, twirling her pen around her fingers as she thought about what to write about. 

An article about pizza. No, postickers. No, pizza.

Something other than food, Kara, she chastised herself. 

Lena was already scribbling away and Kara averted her eyes because using her X-ray vision to read Lena's work was too enticing.

Instead, she stilled with her pen poised, racking her brains for something interesting. Something that spoke to her. Something that was out of the ordinary.

And then her lips relaxed in a grin as she wrote her title in big bold letters.

 _Supergirl_. 

 

~

 

Maggie watched Vasquez demonstrate a few basic moves. 

So far, they had gone over basic punches, kicks and how to escape from a bear hug or a choke hold. 

Maggie tried to focus as Vasquez used James - who had also picked this as an elective - as her volunteer, disentangling herself from his arms in no-time. Everyone clapped and there were even a few soft hoots as Vasquez incapacitated a full grown man like James. 

James didn't seem to mind though - which was one of the things Maggie liked about him - and he bowed his head in defeat. Vasquez patted him on the back amicably and asked everyone to cheer for him as well. 

"A worthy opponent," she praised. "Now, I want you all to pair up. You're going to put what you've learned into practice". 

Maggie headed towards James but was disappointed when Lucy got to him faster. She knew that James had a thing for Lucy and had been trying to get her to go on a date with him since last year. Lucy regarded him more as a best friend but James was determined to change her mind someday.

He shot Maggie an apologetic smile over Lucy's head and Maggie just waved him off with amusement. She  couldn't get mad at James - he had that blinding celebrity grin that could thaw anyone's heart and she was not immune to it apparently. 

She realized that everyone had already paired up and she sighed to herself. One of the downfalls of being the new girl. People already had their friends and social circles and no one was going to pick her over someone they've known for the past three years.

However, she was slightly baffled when Alex walked over to her with a guarded look in her eyes. 

It pained Maggie that things had come to this; that Alex would be so clearly uncomfortable in her presence. But she had predicted this would happen. 

"Want to be my partner?" Alex asked with a weak grin - as if expecting Maggie to refuse.

"Sure, Danvers," she replied easily and didn't miss the delighted glint in Alex's eyes. 

They took their positions in front of each other, and Maggie had the impression that Alex was assessing her from head to toe. 

"Trying to find a weakness?" Maggie teased.

"Can't say," Alex teased back. 

And for a moment their playful banter was back and all was well in the world. 

They practiced their punches, taking turns, making note of Vasquez's remarks. 

"Don't let your elbows flip up," Vasquez said, pausing next to every pair to check on their progress. 

Maggie punched the air really close to Alex's face but Alex didn't flinch - and Maggie was pleased by the apparent trust Alex had in her. 

She punched again and paused as Alex gave a thoughtful hum.

"Remember, your contact area should be your pointer and middle finger knuckles," she said, pointing at her own fist. "Not your ring and pinky finger". 

Maggie tilted her head, feeling herself getting annoyed. She didn't it like when someone schooled her and as far as she knew this was Alex's first time too. The fact that she was already upset with Alex didn't make things easier and she did her best to reign her temper. 

"I have other uses for my middle finger," she said instead, flashing a playful smile when she realized how mean that had sounded.

Alex didn't seem too fazed. 

"Seriously though".

"Seriously though? I got this, Danvers," Maggie snapped, punching the air again. 

Alex was tactful enough not to give any advice concerning Maggie's kicks. 

They practiced in silence for a few minutes until Vasquez asked them to try out the bear hug technique. 

"One of you is going to hold the other in a bear hug, from the back," Vasquez reminded them. "Just like I did with your friend James earlier. Try and get out of it using the moves I've shown you before. Don't worry if you don't get it right on the first try, it's not as easy as it looks". 

Alex and Maggie's eyes locked for a second and they shifted on their feet anxiously.

"Um, do you-"

"Are you-"

Alex laughed awkwardly before slipping behind Maggie. "I can hold you- I mean, you can try-"

"Yeah, yeah, let's do this". 

Maggie's breath hitched in her throat as she felt Alex's arms wrapping around her middle, fingers splayed right below Maggie's chest. She could tell that Alex had a relatively weak grasp on her and figured that it wouldn't be challenging to free herself from that.

She tapped Alex's forearm with her fingers. 

"Hold me tighter, Danvers. I won't bite".

"Oh, um- okay".

Alex's arms tightened around her, fingers intertwined more securely this time around Maggie's middle. Alex's front was pressed against Maggie's back and her breath was blowing softly against her ear. She hoped that Alex wouldn't be able to feel the goosebumps traveling up her arms.

It felt like every contact point between her and Alex was scorching hot and she tried to remember what Vasquez had said. 

She needed to break free - but what if she didn't want to?

What if she felt safe inside Alex's arms and releasing herself was the furthest thing from her mind?

She felt Alex's heartbeat against her back and she wasn't a medical student but she somehow knew that it was beating faster than it should be. 

"Alright back there, Danvers?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

"Shouldn't be asking your assailant that," Alex replied - she was clearly trying to joke around but her voice was low and flustered. 

"Right. Ready?"

"Yep".

Maggie tried to drop as low as she could to the floor, wriggling her body around. She couldn't get very far at first - Alex's arms were too strong to budge and her wriggling was ineffective.

However on her third try, Maggie managed to drop quite low, making Alex's grip falter. She took advantage of that - feeling Alex trying to lift her back up as Vasquez has told the "attackers" to do - to free one of her arms and aim a pretend elbow-jab to Alex's nose. She even added a sound effect to make it more convincing and Alex laughed and backed away, pretending to clutch her face in pain.

"You got me," she said. "I surrender". 

Maggie laughed softly, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. 

"Again?" Alex asked and Maggie nodded eagerly.

They repeated the same technique a few more times - Maggie getting progressively better and faster at extricating herself and earning herself a "good job" from Vasquez and a cautious pat on the back from Alex. 

And then she felt confident enough to try the flip maneuver which consisted in using the assailant's body weight against them to flip them over her back. She used the element of surprise - not preparing Alex for what she was going to attempt - and bent over, squatting and lifting while pulling Alex's arm forward. She heard Alex gasp softly as Maggie managed to roll her off her hip and slam her onto the mat, flat on her back. 

Pumping with adrenaline, Maggie laughed and straddled Alex to hold her in place, bracing her hands on her shoulders. 

"I won," she gloated, breathless. 

Alex was breathless too, eyes wide, lips parted and fingertips resting lightly on Maggie's hips. Alex's troubled expression made Maggie suddenly aware of how intimately they were touching - in all the right and wrong places - and this proximity unsettled her. If she leaned down just a little, she'd be able to brush her lips against Alex's mouth and she wondered whether Alex was aware of that possibility as well because her fingers were squeezing her waist ever so slightly and sending shivers up Maggie's spine. 

"You won," Alex said in a whisper. 

Maggie fought the almost unbearable urge to move her hips slowly against Alex - because she was still pumping with adrenaline and because Alex looked incredibly sexy pinned underneath her, with her flushed cheeks and her messy hair and that trickle of sweat pearling on her temples. 

"Break it up," Vasquez called out, evidently mistaking their position for something else. Probably thinking they were playing around. "Lesson's done for the day". 

Maggie shook her head and stood up on shaky legs. She wanted to help Alex get to her feet but Alex was already up, eyes averted and brushing something invisible off her trousers. 

Maggie tightened her ponytail - just to have something to do.

"This was good".

"Yeah".

"I'll see you around?"

"Sure".

Alex started to walk away and her retreating figure made something flare inside Maggie's chest. Something that felt like longing - and before she knew it, she was calling out Alex's name.

Alex turned around and Maggie thought she looked slightly expectant. 

Maggie hadn't really thought about what she wanted to say. Did she want her to stay a bit more? To have lunch with her?

"You, um- you're late".

"Huh?"

'The DVDs you've borrowed," Maggie clarified, feeling stupid.

Alex paused before giving a curt nod. "I'll bring them by this afternoon". 

She left before Maggie could think of anything else to say.

 

~

Alex gathered the DVDs into a pile and got ready to leave the room, feeling particularly grumpy at how this day has been going.

She still wasn't sure what had really happened between her and Maggie and what that moment between them had been about. Maggie was sending her mixed signals and Alex didn't know where to go from here. 

But then she realized how unusually quiet Kara had been, sprawled on the couch, watching an ad about tampons. 

"Kar? Everything okay?" Alex ventured, keys in hand.

"Pizza, yes," Kara replied automatically.

Alex sighed and walked over to Kara, tapping her legs. Kara moved them to make some room for her sister and then laid them across Alex's lap. 

"Are you alright? How was your first day?"

"It was okay". 

"Just okay?" Alex insisted, noting the wary look in her sister's blue eyes.

Kara sighed and stared at her fingernails, avoiding eye contact.

"You can tell me, you know".

"You're going to get mad," Kara mumbled. 

"I'm not going to-" She stopped as she reconsidered her sentence. "What did you do?"

"It's not that bad when you really think about it".

"Kara-"

"I told Lena," Kara blurted out, hiding her face behind a throw-cushion.

Alex stopped her mind from jumping to any conclusions because of course, Kara couldn't be  _this_ irresponsible -

"I told her about my superpowers," Kara clarified, her voice not louder than a squeak.

Alex was sure that if she was the one with superpowers, her glare might have set Kara on fire. 

"You  _what?_ "

"Don't get upset-" Kara pleaded as Alex bolted from the couch, hands fisted inside her hair. 

"Kara, I'm beyond upset," Alex snapped. "How could you do something like this? After everything we've been through, after all the efforts we've made to keep this hidden-"

"She's not going to say anything!"

Alex pressed her knuckles against her eyes and tried to count to ten. She gave up after five.

"Kara, how much do you know about this person? When did this even  _happen_?"

"When you were out with Maggie".

"So you decided to just blurt out your biggest secret to someone you've known for a  _day_?"

Kara bit her lip and averted her eyes guiltily.

"I mean, do you  _know_ how bad this sounds?"

"I trust her," Kara muttered. 

"You trust her," Alex repeated, her voice tinged with disbelief. "I thought you were smarter than this, Kara".

Kara's head snapped up and Alex was taken aback by the fire blazing in her eyes. She hadn't seen this side of Kara in a long time. 

"I'm not a kid anymore, Alex. It's not  _your_ secret, it's mine. And I know that you love me, and I know that you think it's your job to take care of me, and to make sure that nothing happens to me, but I'm- I'm responsible for my own decisions. If this blows up in my face, then it'll be on me. I'm okay with that. I just-" She sighed sharply. "I just wanted to tell her and I felt like I could. And she was very understanding and she promised not to tell anyone. And I believe her".

Alex closed her eyes. "Kara-"

"You haven't known Maggie for a long time but you trust her, don't you?" Kara asked - and Alex knew that she had found her weak spot. 

"Don't play the Maggie card". 

"But it's true". 

Alex tilted her head back and took a deep breath. She was obviously not going to get a break anytime soon and she needed the fresh air. This thing with Kara could wait. The harm was already done anyway.

"We'll talk about this some more when I come back," she said, picking up the DVDs and heading out before Kara could add anything else. 

Could this day get any worse?

 

~

Alex was secretly glad that it was Maggie manning the shop tonight and not M'gann. Things were weird between them but she was always glad when she had the chance to spend a few moments with her. 

Maggie lifted her head when she heard the bell jingle, eyes widening slightly when she realized that it was Alex.

Alex handed her the DVDs reverently, earning herself a small amused smile from Maggie - she considered that a victory. 

"I come bearing gifts," she said.

"Look, I- I'm sorry I was a bit rude-"

"Rude?"

"You're my friend, you can borrow these DVDs for as long as you want. It's one of the perks of working here. I just- I was silly". 

Alex nodded as she processed this information but then shrugged easily. "It's okay. I _am_ done with these though".

"Okay," Maggie said as she scanned the barcodes, keeping her eyes trained on her computer screen. 

Alex tapped her fingertips against the counter, conscious of the weird palpable tension between them. She didn't understand it completely but she knew that it was because there was something unspoken hanging there and that they needed to address. 

And if Maggie wasn't going to, then she was. 

Because that thing with Kara was serious enough and if she kept things to herself any longer then she was going to lose her mind. 

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked - and she was surprised at herself for going with that question. 

Maggie didn't expect this either and her gorgeous brown eyes flicked in Alex's direction, narrowing slightly. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did I do something wrong? Did I offend you in any way?"

Maggie's fingers stilled on the keyboard before placing her hands on the counter and tilting her head. She smiled but it was sad and Alex couldn't see a dimple.

"You didn't do anything wrong". 

"But something's wrong," Alex insisted. "I thought- I thought we had fun on Friday night-"

"We did!"

"But then you didn't speak to me".

" _You_  didn'tspeak to  _me_ ," Maggie corrected and Alex could finally see the hurt brimming in Maggie's eyes and in the way her voice trembled. 

Alex shook her head, trying to clear it, and lifted her hand up.

"I don't think we're on the same page here. I didn't talk to you because I thought I had made a fool out of myself. I was- I tried to kiss you".

"I know".

"And you stopped me. And so I decided to wait, you know. I was.. embarrassed. I thought you'd be the one to talk to me, I didn't want to pressure you".

"I stopped you because you were drunk," Maggie reminded her emphatically. "I didn't want to take advantage of that".

"Okay, then why didn't you reach out to me all weekend?" Alex asked, feeling like they were a couple having their first ever fight. 

"Because I said I liked you!" Maggie exclaimed. "And you didn't say it back and you were tipsy and I just wanted you to think about what you truly wanted before I-"

"I tried to  _kiss_ you, doesn't this mean I like you back?"

"How was I supposed-"

"Okay ladies, hands in the air and no one gets hurt". 

Alex and Maggie spun around to find that a man wearing a ski-mask was in the shop. They hadn't heard him come in because they had been too engrossed with their argument and it took a second for his words to fully register. 

And then Alex spotted the gun in his hand. 

Alex slowly lifted her hands up and motioned for Maggie to do the same. Maggie's arms shook as she raised them up in surrender. 

Alex felt like she was having a bad dream or watching one of those actions movies Kara loved. 

The man was carrying an empty bag and Alex knew that he was going to ask Maggie to open up the cash register. Which he promptly did.

Faced with Maggie's hesitation and loyalty to M'gann, the man became agressive. 

"Open up the cash register or I blow your fucking brains out," he warned. 

"I'll do it," Alex offered, moving behind the counter to stand next to Maggie and allowing herself a brief second to brush her fingers against Maggie's back reassuringly. Maggie's wide eyes gazed at her fearfully and Alex gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry," she whispered. "What's the code?"

Maggie recited the code and Alex punched it in - deliberately leaving a number out.

"It's jammed," she told the thief.

"Open it!" he ordered, waving his gun around.

"It's jammed, I swear," Alex hastily said.

The man gave an exasperated groan and marched towards the counter to check whether Alex was lying or not. He stood behind the counter and pointed his gun right at Alex's temple. Maggie gasped and tried to put herself between Alex and the gun but the man shoved her away roughly.

"Try again," he said.

His proximity was exactly what Alex had been hoping for. 

"Okay, don't shoot," she said, waving her hands in surrender - and then she lunged.

Rolling to the inside of the man's shooting arm, Alex brought her inside arm up and over his and wrapped it underneath it. His forearm locked into her armpit now, Alex used her outside arm to drive the man's elbow upward, hearing the snap followed by the man's agonized scream. He dropped the gun, still howling in pain.

Alex jabbed her elbow into his nose, satisfied at the sight of blood spraying out, and then finished it with a knee strike to the groin.

The man keened as he fell to his knees, clutching his nose and his groin simultaneously. 

 

 

~

Alex waited as Maggie gave her statement to the police and watched as they pushed the thief in the back of a police car.

She hadn't said anything to Maggie yet and she could see that Maggie was throwing concerned glances her way. Alex was more concerned about Maggie and how she was coping with all of this. 

The police said that they needed Maggie to pass by the station tomorrow for basic procedures and advised her to get a good night's sleep. Maggie nodded distractedly and then walked towards Alex, slipping her hands inside her leather jacket's pockets.

She paused, her eyes skating over Alex's face as if she was seeing her for the first time, and then she frowned as she glimpsed the blood on Alex's hand. 

"Are you hurt," she asked, her voice like gravel, grazing Alex's knuckles with her fingertips. 

Alex shivered at her gentle touch but Maggie retracted her arm quickly, worried that she had hurt her.

"No, no, this- this is his blood, not mine," she quickly reassured Maggie.

Maggie nodded slowly at that and exhaled heavily and Alex had the feeling that she wanted to cry. 

"Drink?" she said instead. 

Alex followed Maggie wordlessly as she slipped inside the familiar pub, asking for a bottle of beer and a shot. Alex settled for a cider and watched as Maggie threw back her shot and followed it by a swig from the bottle. 

A faint blush crept back into her cheeks. 

"Are you okay?" Alex finally allowed herself to ask, leaning against the bar, drink untouched. 

Maggie blinked at her incredulously. "Am  _I_ okay?"

"Yeah?"

Maggie shook her head slowly. "You've just fought a man twice your size and you're asking if  _I'm_ okay?"

Alex cleared her throat nervously and took a sip of cider.

"You were scared".

" _Of course_ I was scared, but I was more scared for you, he had- he had that gun to your head-"

Maggie broke off and wiped at the corner of her eyes, looking away. Alex's heart constricted at the sight of Maggie in obvious pain and she rubbed her hands soothingly against Maggie's arms. She was relieved when Maggie didn't pull away but instead seemed to lean into Alex's touch.

"I'm okay," Alex said softly.

"But you could have-"

"But I'm okay," Alex repeated, trying to focus on calming Maggie down instead of marveling at how soft her skin was and how she wanted to gather her up in her arms. "I knew what I was doing". 

Maggie seemed to remember that there was a piece of information she was missing.

"What  _was_ that back there? Do you have superpowers you haven't told me about?"

Alex dropped her hands and shook her head at the irony of it all.

"No, I don't have superpowers," she smiled ruefully. "My dad, he.. he taught me how to fight ever since I was old enough to understand that there were bad people in the world. He taught me Krav Maga and I- well, I kept training even after he left. I guess he knew that he wouldn't be around for long and wanted me to be able to take care of myself".

Maggie nodded slowly as she digested what she had just learned.

"So basically, thank my dad," Alex gave a short humorless laugh. 

Maggie frowned and tilted her head, her fingers resting against Alex's elbow. "I want to thank _you_. You saved me".

"Pfft," Alex lifted her hand to wave off Maggie's gratitude but Maggie caught that hand between her own.

"Seriously, Danvers. Thank you". 

Alex was pretty sure that her fingers were on fire and she cleared her throat before giving Maggie a small nod.

And then Maggie's face flashed with something else. A sudden understanding.

"Hold on," she said slowly. "So if you're basically Jackie Chan-"

"I'm not-"

"Then why did you join the self-defense class? You can clearly take care of yourself". 

Maggie waited as Alex ducked her head, her cheeks blushing with embarrassment, drumming her fingers against her cider and trying to buy herself some time. But then Maggie's hand was under her chin and she was tipping her head up and looking into her eyes with her warm brown ones and Alex knew that she had pieced it together. 

"You did it for me?" she asked softly. 

Alex knew there was no point denying it.

"Yes," she said in a whisper. "I was.. hoping I'd see you there". 

"You let me win". 

Alex shrugged with a small smile. "You're.. you're beautiful when you're happy". 

Maggie's lips parted as she drew in a breath and her thumb stroked Alex's cheek with a tenderness that Alex had never experienced before. Her eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds and she wished for this moment to go on forever. 

"You're something else," Maggie breathed out. 

 

~

Alex walked Maggie to her room and waited as Maggie searched her pockets for her keys.

She stilled before unlocking the door and turned towards Alex with a sheepish smile tugging at her lips. 

"I- I'm kind of ashamed to say this-"

"What's wrong?"

"Lena's not here, she's gone to visit her brother and-" 

She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Alex could read her loud and clear though.

"You don't want to be alone," she completed gently. 

"I feel stupid," Maggie scoffed at herself.

"You're not stupid. Tonight wasn't easy. Do you- I mean, do you want to sleep in my room?"

Maggie's eyes were bright and hopeful. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Of course not. Kara's there too so that's double protection".

"I can't believe I want to become a cop and now I need my own bodyguards," Maggie laughed at herself, only half-joking. 

"You're going to become a great cop," Alex said firmly, leading Maggie down the hall and returning Maggie's grateful grin with one of her own.

The minute she unlocked the door, Kara was already standing there with her hands on her hips, probably about to scold Alex for having run out on her and not letting her know that she was going to be late.

But the moment she saw Alex's exhausted face and the fact that Maggie was tagging along as well, her features changed from annoyed to worried in less than a second.

"Alex? What-"

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, Kar," she promised, glancing pointedly at Maggie and Kara was tactful enough not to insist.

Instead, she merely nodded and went back to her bunk. Alex was immensely relieved when she saw Kara use the stairs. One person knowing about her was enough. 

Maggie hesitated before heading towards the couch. 

"I'll sleep on this," she announced.

"Don't be silly," Alex said. "We can sleep on the same bed. The couch's uncomfortable, you'll wake up with a kink in your neck".

"Are you-"

"Come on, Sawyer".

They hastily changed into their pajamas - Maggie borrowing one of Alex's shorts and pajama tops - and slid under the covers together, flipping the light switch off.

Plunged into darkness with Maggie right next to her, Alex had the feeling that she was never going to be able to fall asleep. She could feel Maggie's warmth next to her and the smell of her shampoo and it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Maybe she should count some sheep. 

"It's a tight fit," she said instead, giving a light chuckle. 

Maggie gave a small noncommittal hum before rolling closer to Alex and resting her head against Alex's shoulder, her arm splayed across Alex's middle. 

"Isn't this better?" she asked. 

Alex couldn't trust herself to answer and so she just nodded, her body as stiff as a board. 

And then her body slowly relaxed as she got used to the weight of Maggie's arm and she allowed her own hand to rest on Maggie's waist. Maggie gave a content sigh and snuggled closer and Alex was pretty sure that she had never felt this happy in her entire life.

She was on her way to drifting to sleep when Maggie spoke again. 

"I wanted to ask you something," she mumbled sleepily, lips pressed against Alex's neck.

Alex tried not to shiver. "What?"

"There's this event tomorrow at uni. A.. gay pride thing".

"Mhm".

"I know you're not- I mean I was wondering-"

"I'd love to go".

She could feel Maggie's lips curve against her neck in a smile. "Yeah?"

"Yeah".

"Yeah, we'd love to go," Kara added.

"Kara!" Alex groaned with exasperation as Maggie giggled softly.

"It's a date then," Maggie whispering, pressing a soft lingering kiss against Alex's neck.

"It's- It's a date," Alex spluttered, feeling heat pooling between her legs at Maggie's kiss. 

Maggie tightened her arm around Alex's body, her breathing slowly evening out. 

And right before Alex finally drifted off, she heard Maggie's voice whispering in her ear.

"My hero". 


	6. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter! GAY PRIDE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it's me again! I'm sorry for the late update but sometimes life gets in the way. As promised though, here is the last chapter of this story. Hope you've all enjoyed it.  
> Don't forget to leave your feedback and to contact me on stillascalmwater if you want to say hi.

When Alex woke up, it took her a few seconds to remember what had happened the previous night. 

The attempted robbery. 

Saving Maggie.

Inviting Maggie to stay over because she was scared at the idea of sleeping alone.

But when she blinked her eyes open, Alex was surprised to realize that Maggie wasn't in bed with her anymore She remembered Maggie snuggling up to her during the night, her soft lips pressed against her neck, asking her to come along with her to some event organized by NCU. 

She could hear Kara's light snores from the top bunk and she knew that it had to be relatively early. 

Kara was an early bird, always up by eight, and morning found her usually bouncing around the kitchen, making coffee and breakfast that could probably feed a small army. And so it had to be much earlier than that. 

Alex glanced at her watch. Six-thirty. 

The first signs of concern bloomed inside her chest and she wondered where Maggie could have gone. Did she go back to her room? Was she suddenly too uncomfortable sleeping next to Alex? Did they take it too far with the cuddling and the not-too-subtle flirting that had been going on for the past few days?

Alex propped herself up on her elbows to scan the room and breathed out a sigh of relief when she spotted Maggie near the window, gazing outside with a dreamy look in her soulful brown eyes, a mug of coffee between her hands. 

It was Alex's favourite mug - the one with an otter wearing a space helmet and floating around in the galaxy.

Otter Space.

"Hey," Alex said softly, not wanting to startle Maggie. 

Maggie startled anyway and Alex found herself fueled with raw hatred for the man who had tried to hurt them yesterday. Maggie was not usually jumpy - Alex was sure she would have noticed that- but it was clear that last night's events were still on Maggie's mind. 

"Good morning," Maggie replied, just as softly. "Did I wake you? I couldn't sleep and decided to make some coffee-"

"You didn't wake me," Alex replied reassuringly, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I, um- I didn't find you so I, um-"

Maggie's smile was tender and her eyes lit up with understanding. "I'm fine". 

"Are you?"

Maggie started to nod but then caught herself when she noticed Alex's no-nonsense stare. Instead, she waved her hand in a so-so gesture and gave a small shrug. 

"I'm- I keep thinking about- you know-"

Alex slipped her feet inside her slippers and padded towards Maggie. This was a conversation that was too sensitive and raw to be had from opposite ends of the room. She noted the way Maggie's eyes widened slightly at Alex's proximity and how she took a quick sip of her coffee to hide her nervousness. 

"I know," Alex said, lips tugged up in a sad smile. "It's not easy, what you had to go through-"

Maggie frowned at this and she lightly slapped Alex on the arm. 

Alex winced and pretended that it had hurt more than it actually had. 

"You always do that, Danvers".

"Do what?"

"Think about others".

Alex gave a confused laugh. "Is that.. a bad thing?"

"No, it's not. It's actually one of the reasons why I.. like you so much," Maggie confessed, ending her sentence on a pent-up sigh. "But you're acting like I was the only one in the shop yesterday when you were actually right there with me. You had a gun to your head - a detail that you seem to be forgetting".

"I haven't forgotten-" 

"It's okay to not be okay," Maggie interjected. Her fingers brushed against Alex's wrist in a caress and Alex relished how warm those fingers were - probably from holding the hot mug of coffee. "You don't have to be strong all the time". 

Alex wanted to protest but knew that it was useless. Maggie could see right through her and no amount of bravado was going to fool her. 

"I have to be," she said instead, and winced at how weak and vulnerable her voice sounded. 

"Why?" 

Maggie's fingers were still curled around her wrist- and even though the contact was as soft as a feather, Alex could feel the energy and strength pulsating through Maggie's fingertips and it made her feel safe. 

"It's what I've been used to. I had to be strong. For my mom. For Kara". 

Maggie gave a slow nod and hummed in sympathy. "That must have been hard on you, Alex. But you know what? You don't have to be strong with me. I got you". She gave a small self-deprecatory scoff. "Even though I'm not really the best yet when it comes to saving your life, but.. I got you". 

Alex shook her head and spontaneously reached out to grab Maggie's hand. 

Maggie gave a soft gasp as Alex intertwined their fingers together, marveling at how their hands fit perfectly, as if they had been doing this for years. Alex took a deep breath to steady herself while she rubbed her thumb across Maggie's knuckles. 

"You did, you know. Save my life". 

She knew she had caught her unawares with that admission because Maggie just tilted her head, frowning with confusion and something else that Alex couldn't quite name yet. 

"I've had a gun to my head my whole life, Sawyer," Alex explained. "I was the one holding it. I was... too scared to be myself. But-" she tightened her hold against Maggie's hand. "But I'm not scared anymore". 

Maggie's voice was thick with emotion. "Alex-"

"You taught me how to be myself, Maggie. And so I guess we're even now," Alex added with a wink. 

She could tell that Maggie's pulse was picking up and noticed the way her eyes were skating down towards Alex's mouth. Alex licked her lips and found her own eyes taking the same route. They leaned in towards each other, slightly, and paused as they heard Kara rolling around in her bed, mumbling about something food-related. 

Alex rolled her eyes and Maggie grinned with amusement. 

"Why is it that every time we-"

Maggie giggled. "Shh. C'mere".

If she couldn't kiss Alex right now - because they both had made an unspoken agreement that they wanted their first kiss to be romantic and perfect- she could at least hug her instead. 

She grabbed the hem of Alex's pajama top and pulled her closer, slipping her arm around Alex's waist and giving a content sigh as she felt Alex's strong arms settling around her neck. However, the sudden hug accidentally jostled the mug in Maggie's hand and coffee sloshed over, staining Alex's shirt. 

Maggie tried to pull away. "Oh shit- Alex, I'm sorry-"

But Alex refused to budge, cheek pressed against Maggie's shoulder. "Doesn't matter. It's worth it". 

Maggie smiled at that, and allowed herself to relax again in Alex's embrace. That hug lasted a long time, neither of them wanting to pull away first. It was safe and warm and long overdue. And it also wasn't completely innocent. Because Alex could feel Maggie's toned body pressed up against hers in all the right places and Maggie was very aware of Alex's lips brushing against her neck and even though they both wouldn't admit it to each other, they were also quite a bit turned on as well. 

Alex was the one who found the willpower to draw back first. 

She eyed the mug in Maggie's hand. 

"You know you're using my favourite mug, right?"

Maggie's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I'm not surprised. I figured the nerdiest one would be your favourite. It was either that or the one with "Negative Space" on it and all the planets crying". 

"Surprised you got that, Sawyer," Alex teased back. 

And before Maggie could protest, Alex had swiped the mug from her and taken a sip of coffee. She made sure to place her mouth exactly where Maggie's lips had been, mirroring her previous actions from the night they went out together. And judging by the way Maggie's eyes followed her movement, she knew that Maggie's mind had jumped to exactly that. 

Alex gave a surprised hum. 

"Does this have.. sugar in it?"

"Just a pinch," Maggie admitted, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

"I thought it was no cream, no sugar". 

"I think a bit of sugar isn't too bad after all," Maggie grinned.

Alex hid her smile behind another sip of coffee. 

As she handed the drink back to Maggie, she noticed that Maggie was eyeing the top of her head with an amused grin.

"What?"

Maggie giggled - it was a rare sound but it never failed to fill Alex with joy. She'd jump through hoops to hear Maggie Sawyer laugh like that. 

"Nothing, it's just- your hair-"

Alex self-consciously patted her hair down and gave a light chuckle. She knew how her hair looked after a night of sleep: a complete mess. 

"I like it," Maggie added, her voice tinged with affection. 

And she did.

Alex Danvers looked gorgeous all the time but there was something about her in the early morning that was especially attractive.

Maybe it was the way her eyes twinkled with sleep and unremembered dreams. 

Maybe it was the way her lips looked particularly soft and rosy. 

Maybe it was the slight huskiness of her voice or the toasty warmth of her body against hers. 

Or maybe it was that mussed up hair that she irresistibly wanted to tousle and that made her look like an absolute angel. 

She tutted as Alex continued with her attempts to smooth down her hair and slipped her own fingers inside Alex's dark locks. 

Alex froze, watching silently as Maggie tucked a stubborn lock behind her ear, her fingers lingering over Alex's cheek and jaw. 

Alex didn't dare move, afraid to break the spell, and hoping that Maggie doesn't notice the slight tremble in her knees. 

If this was how a simple touch was making her react, she couldn't possibly imagine what kissing Maggie would feel like. It was probably something her mind couldn't even try and guess at. 

Alex cleared her throat. "So, this event". 

"Mhm?" 

Fingertips stilling against her cheek, sending tingles down her spine. 

"You said it was a pride thing?"

"Yes".

"I've never been to one".

"I know," Maggie grinned. "I think you'll really like it".

Alex grinned back slowly. "I think I will too". 

"Can you two keep it down?" Kara groaned from her perch. "It's early, even for me". 

"Sorry Kar!" Alex said, before she and Maggie dissolved into giggles, shushing each other and earning themselves an airborne pillow from a disgruntled Kara.

 

~

Alex was nervous and excited about pride. 

Excited because it was yet another opportunity for her to hang out with Maggie. Because everybody was going. And because Maggie had guaranteed that it was going to be a lot of fun. "There's going to be a parade, and singing and dancing, and then fireworks at the end," she had gushed happily when Alex had asked her what to expect. 

Nervous because it was her first time going to pride. Because even though it was "just" an event, it also meant something to her on a personal level. Because she was still getting used to this newly discovered part of herself. And even though Maggie had told her what they were going to be doing, she still didn't really know what to expect.

Kara, on the other hand, was acting like this was her tenth time attending pride. 

She had on a rainbow colored wig and was sporting a "Gay Pride" shirt that she had borrowed from Lena. 

Alex didn't really know what to wear and so she had asked Maggie for advice. 

Maggie didn't disappoint and was quick to produce quite a few shirts of her own for Alex to pick from. Alex hesitated in front of the substantial selection before opting for a tank top that said "Love Is Love" in the trademark rainbow colours. 

Maggie's eyes had lingered on her for a long second before giving an approving nod. 

"Good choice," she said simply - and Alex didn't know why but her heart skipped a few beats at that. 

Maggie had chosen a shirt with "Pride Not Prejudice" printed on it, and rainbow-tinted sunglasses perched on the top of her head. 

The gang accessorized with pride bracelets and necklaces and, when they were done, they all definitely looked ready for the day. 

Maggie draped a flag around her shoulders before grabbing on to Alex's arm and tugging her out the door. 

"We don't want to miss anything," she said as Kara zoomed past them.

Alex wanted to say that as long as she was with Maggie, she didn't really feel like she was missing out on anything.

But she decided to keep those thoughts to herself.

 

~

Maggie watched as Alex took in her surroundings, lips parted in amazement.

She had been a bit worried about taking Alex to pride - she didn't want to seem as if she was pressuring Alex to come out when she wasn't ready yet or to celebrate something she didn't feel very strongly about. 

But her concerns were put to rest as she saw Alex gasp with wonder at all the decorations and clap excitedly as a marching band made its way down the street. 

Kara and Lena were posing next to a float, arms around each other as James - shirtless except for a LGBT flag tied around his torso - snapped their picture. He then motioned for everyone to huddle closer to take a group selfie. 

Alex didn't know it right then, but that picture was going to be up on her wall for the next few decades. 

And it never failed to make her smile.

James was smiling broadly to the camera, his teeth almost blindingly white. Winn was right behind him, with an arm slung over his shoulder, his tongue sticking out and his face almost unrecognizable due to the heavy rainbow face-painting. It was obvious to see how comfortable he was now among his new friends. Kara and Lena were in the back, grinning from ear to ear, arms around each other's shoulders and raising their hands in a spontaneous thumbs-up. 

And then Alex and Maggie were to the side, one of Alex's hand reaching out to grab Kara's arm - because even though Alex was overwhelmed by the beauty of this day, she knew that sharing it with her sister made it even more memorable - and her other hand holding on to Maggie's waist. Maggie had an arm hooked around Alex's neck, the other draped across Alex's middle in a gesture that made it seem like they were together. 

And Alex didn't usually show her teeth in pictures- she usually went for a closed-lipped smile when having her picture taken - but she was showing them now because Maggie had her lips pressed against her cheek. And maybe it was for the sake of the camera, but Alex found herself wishing that James would go on taking pictures of them forever because Maggie's lips were warm and full and she wondered how they'd feel on other parts of her. 

"This one's a keeper," James whooped, as Kara, Lena and Winn grouped around him to look at the snap. 

Maggie lingered with her arms around Alex for a few extra moments and Alex resisted the urge to pull her into her arms again as she finally - and reluctantly - let her go. 

She didn't comment on that impromptu kiss and Maggie didn't either and Alex decided to let it go for now. Maybe she didn't need to question everything or try to understand every little detail. Maybe she just needed to let go and embrace whatever happened. The occasion called for it anyway. Everyone was merry and touchy and Alex was all for that. 

And so they all cheered and they all laughed and they bought snacks and drinks and toasted each other and listened to the music and sang along when they knew the lyrics and made up new words when they didn't and they danced until their feet hurt and their hearts galloped and their skin glistened with sweat and their cheeks flushed. 

Sometimes they all danced together, huddling close and jumping up and down before the drop. Sometimes strangers tagged along too - because no one was really a stranger at pride - and they didn't need any introductions or explanations. Everyone was accepted and loved and it was okay to dance with people you've never seen before. 

And sometimes, Lena and Kara would slip away to bust their own moves together, and they looked so happy inside their little bubble that it seemed like no one had the heart to cut in. 

And sometimes, Alex and Maggie did the same, moving as if they were floating on air, bobbing their heads in tandem to the music, and leaving all their inhibitions behind. Because it was pride and it was okay if Alex slipped her fingers inside Maggie's thick mane and it was okay if Maggie pulled Alex tightly against her and it was okay if their breaths mingled because of how close they were. They didn't need to overthink it- not right now. Right now, they celebrated. 

And Maggie clearly knew what she was celebrating but Alex still wasn't sure. 

She knew it deep down but she had yet to say it. She had yet to admit it, even to herself. 

"You're such a cute couple!" 

A beautiful brunette shimmied her way towards them, flashing them a big earnest smile. 

Maggie smiled back but Alex chuckled nervously.

"Um, we're not- we're not actually together". 

The girl looked at them both, one eyebrow quirked up, and then tutted. 

"Could've fooled me," she said with a smirk before dancing away. 

 

~

Maggie was excited for one specific attraction. 

She had seen such a thing in previous parades that she'd attended elsewhere- and she was giddy for Alex to see it.

"What exactly is it we're waiting for?" Alex asked, nudging Maggie with her shoulder. 

Maggie gave her a playful nudge back. "The wall". 

They were both aware that something had shifted in their relationship. It was pretty clear from the start- even though neither of them would really admit it out loud - that they had a strong connection. 

But that connection was reinforced and made more tangible by the traumatic experience they've both had the previous day. It had brought them even closer.

And it showed. 

They touched each other more often - nudges, pecks on the cheek, hugs, and seemingly casual hand-on-the-arm or the waist contact. 

There was a kind of intimacy that wasn't there before. One that they were bolder in showing now. 

Maybe it was the fact that they had realized how close they had both come to losing each other yesterday. Maybe it was the fact that they had realized how important they were to one another, even after such a short time. 

Maybe they needed to make sure that the other person was truly there and touching them was one way of doing so. 

Not that either of them was complaining. 

"A wall?" Alex repeated. 

"There it is," Maggie whooped. 

Kara whooped in response even though Alex was pretty sure that Kara had no idea of what was about to happen. She was standing by Lena - like she had been doing all day - and they were both talking animatedly to each other. Alex was glad that Kara had made a friend. And even though she was still less than thrilled that Kara had outed herself to a stranger, she had to admit that her little sister's gut feeling was usually reliable. 

She focused on the approaching float, which consisted of a big rainbow-colored wall.

At first glance, Alex didn't understand what the deal was. 

But then, upon closer inspection, she realized that the wall was actually adorned with handwritten messages, post-its and pictures. 

Everyone approached the huge wall, laughing at some of the inscriptions and furrowing their brows with sympathy at others. A person wearing a Babadook mask - Maggie had seen that movie a thousand times and found it hilarious that it was now an LGBT symbol- was handing out black markers and sticky notes. 

Alex tapped the marker against her chin, evidently a bit nervous. 

"So. What do people write here?"

"Anything, really," Maggie answered with an easy shrug. "Some people wish for something. Others write a confession they can't really say out loud. Some people write poems or something funny. Some people just sign their names- you know, just to show they were here". 

Alex nodded slowly, running her hand against the wall and smiling as she read some of the notes. 

"Taste the rainbow, bitch," she chuckled. 

Maggie laughed freely at that and then pointed to a yellow post-it. "Like a windshield wiper, I swing both ways".

"That one's good".

Kara was having a great time reading the messages as well, until she froze with a sad pout on her face. 

"Mom said I was going to hell but I told her I was going to pride". 

Lena rubbed Kara's back soothingly. "Yeah, some of the things on here aren't exactly very cheerful".

"It doesn't have to be cheerful," James said wisely. "It just helps if it's something from the heart". 

They all hummed their approval at that and chose a different spot on the wall to write. It wasn't an easy feat at first but the wall was big and still had quite a few empty spots to scribble on. 

Alex thought to herself for a moment, trying not to peek at Maggie's note. She could see that Kara and Lena were already finished with theirs and they seemed pretty proud of what they had written. 

Alex hesitated - she knew what she wanted to stick on the wall but it was hard. Harder than she had believed it would be. And then she spotted a message jotted in a neat calligraphy that simply said "I wish I wasn't afraid anymore" and she decided to take that as a sign. 

Two minutes later they were all done and everyone - besides Alex, who said nothing - was okay with having their work read. 

Winn wrote his full name - something he didn't usually do; James drew a perfect unicorn which earned a lot of oohs and aahs from the gang; Lena had scrawled "I hate the word homophobia. It's not a phobia. You're an asshole"; and Kara surprised them all with a serious and simple note: "Legalize".

Alex snorted at Kara's scribble but her eyes were tender and affectionate. 

"No flowers and little hearts?"

Kara glared at Alex for a second before dotting the "I" in "Legalize" with a heart. "There". 

"What did Maggie write?" Winn asked. 

Maggie cleared her throat before pointing at her work. Her handwriting was elegant and slightly loopy. 

"We should kiss the girls we want to kiss," she read and - it might have been wishful thinking - Alex noted how her eyes flicked her way as she did so and she remembered the time when Maggie had said that exact sentence to her but in a completely different context. It felt different now. It felt like it was meant for her. 

"What about yours, Alex?" Kara asked. 

"Um- mine isn't very interesting," Alex croaked nervously before slapping both hands on the wall to hide her text.

She was surprised when nobody pressured her or tried to tease her into revealing it.

Maggie cupped Alex's elbow with gentle fingers and Alex was reminded once again of the new nature of their relationship. 

"You don't have to show us if it's too personal," she said strongly. "We understand". 

The rest of the group nodded in unison and Alex was overcome by a feeling that she'd never had before.

Not like this.

A feeling of being accepted.

Of being loved. 

And she'd never had that feeling before, not really. Not with anyone other than Kara.

But right now, she was surrounded by people who were looking at her with unadulterated understanding and compassion. 

And she knew that it was time. 

Time to take the plunge.

When she said it the first time, it was no louder than a whisper and she couldn't be heard over the music. 

Maggie leaned in closer and was imitated by the rest. 

"Say that again, love?" Maggie coaxed with encouraging eyes and the softest smile. 

And maybe it was the endearment that seemed to have spontaneously punctuated her sentence and maybe it was because it was the sweetest thing Alex had ever been called but it gave her the push she needed. The push to throw her voice and say it loudly.

Proudly.

"I'm gay". 

She let that sink in. 

It rang in her ears as if she had yelled it at the top of her lungs. 

And then, just to be sure that they had heard her correctly, she said it again. 

"I am gay". 

She hadn't really thought about how they'd react.

But she didn't expect Maggie to throw herself in her arms, knocking the wind out of her, and hugging her tighter than she'd ever been hugged. 

She didn't expect Winn to whoop as loud as he did and to fist pump repeatedly. 

She didn't expect Kara and James to lift her up on their shoulders - Kara having to pretend that she couldn't carry her on her own - with Lena clapping excitedly and waving her rainbow flag around. 

She didn't expect them all to pat her on the back and to tell her how proud they were of her. 

She didn't expect to see Maggie wiping away a stray tear from the corner of her eye and to smile at her - that full dimpled smile that made her insides melt - as if she was the happiest girl in the world. 

She didn't expect to feel as if her life finally started to make a little bit of sense. 

~

The day passed by quickly after that and Alex felt as if she was gliding on air. 

Having finally said those three words out loud - having finally admitted them to herself - had lifted a weight off her chest she didn't know was there in the first place.

She felt lighter. 

She felt.. free. 

And she felt like she was maybe starting to fall for a certain Maggie Sawyer. 

Maybe she had been falling from the very start. 

And she had noticed the way Maggie had been looking at her all day, throwing her silent smiles and a sly conspiratorial wink.

And she knew that her night wouldn't be complete without a little something extra from the girl she liked. 

As they waited for the fireworks, heads tilted up to the sky, Alex was reminded of the night she had spent stargazing with Maggie. 

And judging by the small grin Maggie directed her way, she knew that she was having similar thoughts. 

Alex took a deep breath and reveled in the strong sense of belonging she felt surrounded by all these people - people who had been through their own struggles and quests for identity - and she felt fueled by courage. 

Tonight, anything could happen. 

Maggie clearly felt emboldened as well because her hand found Alex's and held it, squeezing gently. 

"Are you happy?" Maggie asked. 

Alex squeezed Maggie's hand back and ran her thumb over her soft knuckles. She allowed herself to get lost in that hopeful brown gaze , knowing that all the constellations in the world would never compete with the ones that twinkled in Maggie's eyes . 

"I've never been happier". 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Maggie, I-" Alex took a deep breath and turned around to face Maggie fully. "I don't know how to thank you". 

Maggie frowned, puzzled. "Thank me?"

"For helping me figure out who I really was. For doing all the things you did. For just.. being you". 

Maggie obviously wasn't used to gratitude because she was quick to wave it off. 

"I didn't do anythi-"

"You did a lot. Even when you didn't really know me. You switched those DVDs on your first day on the job-"

"Well-"

"You let me borrow all those LGBT movies and explained them to me. You took care of me when I was drunk. You were a perfect gentlewoman even though I was practically begging for it-"

"Alex-"

"And you told me that I could have my own happy ending," Alex finished, holding both of Maggie's hands in her own now. "And I think I'll take you up on that". 

They were both suddenly aware of how close they were and how the space between them was slowly dwindling down to nothing. 

Alex could taste Maggie's sweet breath and she knew that she only needed to tilt her head a little bit more to finally close the distance. 

Maggie's eyes were starting to flutter shut when Alex placed her fingers under Maggie's chin. 

"And by the way, I like you too, Sawyer. Just in case what I'm about to do isn't clear enough". 

Maggie's eyes widened with surprise and she breathed out a laugh that was promptly interrupted by Alex's mouth on hers. 

The kiss was slow and hesitant at first, as if they were both waiting for the other person to have second thoughts and pull away. 

But when it was obvious that neither of them was about to do that, the kiss became deeper. 

Maggie wrapped both her arms around Alex's neck, pulling her tighter against her and Alex reciprocated by grabbing on to Maggie's waist and tugging her even closer. They were pressed so intimately against each other that they might have merged into one person if that was possible. 

They startled slightly when they heard the fireworks and then giggled against each other's lips. 

And when Maggie started to lean away, Alex was quick to kiss her again.

"You're going to miss the fireworks," Maggie whispered breathlessly against her mouth. 

"I'm not missing anything," Alex replied.

They kissed for a long time, swaying on their feet, their arms around each other. 

Alex gave a soft moan as Maggie slipped her tongue inside Alex's mouth and ran it carefully across her teeth. 

And Maggie gave a shuddering sigh when Alex slid a cautious hand under Maggie's shirt, feeling the heady mix of soft and warm skin against her fingers. 

They could have stayed like this for a long time but then the fireworks stopped and people started to head back home and they had to break apart because they were kind of blocking the way. 

They were still out of breath when Lena and Kara made their way towards them, giddy smiles on their faces and cheeks flushed with excitement. 

"Did you see the fireworks?" Kara asked gleefully. 

Alex noted that Lena and Kara were holding hands and bit back a smile and the thousand questions she had for her little sister. That would have to wait for later.

Instead, she allowed her gaze to flick back towards Maggie and her fingers found Maggie's wrist in a gentle caress that succeeded in conveying a world of promises.

"I sure did".


End file.
